page_title: Puerto Rican cuisine
section_title: Taino influences in Puerto Rican cuisine
hierarchical_section_title: Puerto Rican cuisine / History / Taino influences in Puerto Rican cuisine
caption_attribution_description: English: Marinated cassava (yucca) Español: Yucca en escabeche
context_page_description: Puerto Rican cuisine has its roots in the cooking traditions and practices of Europe, Africa and the native Taínos. Starting from the latter part of the 19th century. Puerto Rican cuisine can be found in several other countries.
context_section_description: From the diet of the Taíno (culturally related with the Maya and Carib peoples of Central America and the Caribbean) and Arawak people come many tropical roots and tubers (collectively called viandas) like yuatía (Xanthosoma) and especially Yuca (cassava), from which thin cracker-like casabe bread is made and pasteles Puerto Rico's version of tamale. Ajicito or cachucha pepper, a very mild chili known for it smokeyness, recao/culantro (spiny leaf coriander), sarsaparilla, avocado, pimienta (allspice), achiote (annatto), peppers, ají caballero (the hottest pepper native to Puerto Rico), peanuts, guavas, pineapples, jicacos (cocoplum), quenepas (mamoncillo), lerenes (Guinea arrowroot), calabazas (West Indian pumpkin), and guanabanas (soursops) are all Taíno foods. The Taínos also grew varieties of beans and some maíz (corn/maize), but maíz was not as dominant in their cooking as it was for the peoples on the mainland of Mesoamerica. This is due to the frequent hurricanes that Puerto Rico experiences, which destroy crops of maíz, allowing more safeguarded plants like yuca conucos (hills of yuca grown together) to flourish. Maíz when used was frequently made into cornmeal and then into guanime, cornmeal mixed with mashed yautía and yuca and wrapped in corn husk or large leaves. Food was cooked on a barbecue grill made of logs over a pit of flame. To the Taínos this was known as barbacoa.
caption: Marinated cassava (Spanish: Yuca en escabeche)
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