Curious about Puerto Rican cuisine? Then you’ll want to know a bit about Puerto Rico as well as some basic Puerto Rican food terms as well.
Puerto Rico is a Carribean island and a territory of the United States. It’s located to the east of the Dominican Republic and north of Venezuela.
Puerto Rican cuisine
Puerto Rican cuisine is a mix of culinary influences from Spain, Africa, the Americas and natives of the Caribbean.
It is characterized by seasoned meats (pork, beef, chicken and seafood) and fried crunchy textures accompanied by salty, savory and sweet flavors. Common seasonings and flavorings include garlic, oregano, crushed pepper, olive oil and lime juice.
Plantains are a very important crop in Puerto Rico and are used in many Puerto Rican dishes. They can be either sweet or savory and are often mashed like mashed potatoes or fried to provide a crispy texture.
Puerto Rican food terms (Spanish)
Expand your international dining vocabulary with these basic food-related words translated from English to Spanish.
meat – carne
- pork – cerdo
- beef – carne de vaca (literal translation “meat of cow”)
poultry – aves de corral
- turkey – pavo
- duck – pato
- chicken – pollo
seafood – mariscos
- fish – pescado
- shrimp – camarónes
- oyster – ostra
- shellfish – mariscos
meatless/no meat – sin carne
- vegetables – vegetales
- fruits – frutas
- eggs – huevos
- tofu – tofu
- nuts – nueces
- vegetarian – vegetariano (male) / vegetariana (female)
- vegan – vegano (male) / vegana (female)
drinks – bebidas
- water – agua
- alcohol – alcohol
- beer – cerveza
- wine – vino
other eating/dining-related terms
- yes – sí
- no – no
- good – bueno
- yummy – sabroso
- eat – comer (literally “to eat”)
- cook – cocinar
- I’m hungry – tengo hambre
- I’m full – estoy lleno
- more – más
- less – menos
- only – solo
- please – por favor
- thank you – gracias
- baked – horneado
- fried – frito
- grilled – a la parilla
- roasted – asado
- steamed – cocer al vapor
- hot – caliente
- warm – caliente
- cold – frío
- bitter – amargo
- salty – salado
- spicy – picante
- sweet – dulce
- allergic – alérgico
- bathroom – el baño
Watch this video to hear how letters and words sound in Puerto Rican Spanish.
Puerto Rican food to try
- alcapurrias – plantain/yucca fritters filled with ground beef
- bacalaitos – codfish fritters
- empanadilla – small half moon-shaped pastries filled with meat and/or vegetables
- jibarito – a sandwich with plantains used as bread
- maduros and tostones – fried sweet and savory plantains
- mofongo – fried plantains and pork
- papas rellenas – mashed potato croquette filled with seasoned ground beef or pork
- pastelon – Puerto Rican lasagna: seasoned meat between layers of plantains
- pernil – roasted pork shoulder
Interested in learning about other cuisines around the world? Discover food terms from other countries here.
