Not really a soup, the most traditional Puerto Rican dish is asopao , a hearty gumbo made with either chicken or shellfish. Every Puerto Rican chef has his or her own recipe for asopao. For a final touch, green peas or asparagus might be added. The aroma that wafts from kitchens throughout Puerto Rico comes from adobo and sofrito -blends of herbs and spices that give many of the native foods their distinctive taste and color. Adobo, made by crushing together peppercorns, oregano, garlic, slat, olive oil, and lime juice or vinegar, is rubbed into meats before they are roasted.
Stews loom large in the Puerto Rican diet.
They are usually cooked in a caldero or heavy kettle. The ingredients that flavor the chunks of beef vary according to the cook's whims or whatever happens to be in the larder. These might include green peppers, sweet chile peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, potatoes, olives stuffed with pimientos, or capers. Seeded raisins may be added on occasion. Salt pork and ham are often used for the filling and are cooked in a caldero.