Dining

The food in Puerto Rico is so fine that people visit the place for the dining alone. The local Puerto Rican food is called Comida Criolla, and this has nothing to do with anything Cajun. This is made up of Tainu food mixed with Spanish and African influences.

If it is your first time to dine in Puerto Rico then I suggest trying first the restaurants under the Mesones Gastronomicos food program of the island. These restaurants, sponsored by the Puerto Rican Tourism Company, offer the best in traditional criollo food.

The criollo dish is usually made up of rice served with meat and red beans. This dish is usually seasoned with sofrito- a sauce made up of garlic, onions, peppers and cilantro- or with adobo which is a sauce made of garlic, vinegar, oil, paprika and oregano.

A favorite dish for Christmas and other special occasions is the roasted pig. This mouth-watering dish is roasted in an open pit for a few hours. It is best served when the skin has turned into a crispy golden brown color.

Fruits in the island are many since it enjoys a tropical climate. The favorite fruit in the island is the pineapple, which is made into juice. Don’t miss the coconuts, lime and tamarind while the mangoes on the western part of the island are one of the sweetest in the world.

For those interested in fine dining, there are a lot of restaurants in and around Old San Juan. These restaurants specialize in international cuisines from Chinese, French, Italian and others. Expect to pay a premium price at these fine dining places.