My Food Culture Background
Growing up in New York City I was surrounded by food at all corners. New York City is a city known for its hot dogs, cheese cakes, pizzas, bagels, pastrami, pretzels and much more. Although this mainly consumed most of the city and the five boroughs there were more options available. Although I primarily lived in the outskirts of the east part of the city known as the Bronx it shared similarities. With that said I believe that the people that inhabit an area defines its food culture.
Growing up in New York City I was surrounded by food at all corners. New York City is a city known for its hot dogs, cheese cakes, pizzas, bagels, pastrami, pretzels and much more. Although this mainly consumed most of the city and the five boroughs there were more options available. Although I primarily lived in the outskirts of the east part of the city known as the Bronx it shared similarities. With that said I believe that the people that inhabit an area defines its food culture.
Now the Bronx area which I was brought up in consisted of many ethnic groups, all of which had their own take on food based on their cultural background. Now in reference to my background I am of Puerto Rican descent. My grandparents were born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to the states when they were eighteen years old. Both my parents and I were born and raised in New York but we always followed our traditional customs especially when it came to food. Food for Puerto Rican’s is an essential part of daily life. Puerto Rican food can be summarized as being like Cuban or Dominican food. Although there are some differences Puerto Rican food combines a blend of Spanish, African, and American influences.
Famous seasonings and ingredients include coriander, papaya, cacao, nispero, apio, plantains, and yampee. All of which can be traced back to the natives, the original inhabitants of the island. Soups as well are known to be a popular beginning meal which then lead to several other meals throughout the day. Soups such as frijoles Negros (black bean soup), sopón de pollo con arroz (chicken soup with rice), sopón de pescado (fish soup) are usual choices. Lunch and dinner typically comprise of appetizers such as crunchy cod fritters; surullitos, sweet plump cornmeal fingers; and empanadillas, crescent shaped turnovers filled with lobster, crab, conch, or beef. One thing to note is the aroma that surrounds the kitchen which can be traced back to adobo and sofrito. These are the most common blends of herbs and spices that give many of our foods their distinctive taste and color. Adobo is made by crushing together peppercorns, oregano, garlic, salt, olive oil, and lime juice or vinegar, is rubbed into meats before they are roasted. Sofrito, is a mixture of onions, garlic, coriander, and peppers browned in either olive oil or land and colored with achiote, imparts the bright-yellow color to the rice, soups, and stews.
An additional aspect about us Puerto Rican’s is that we love our chicken. Whatever chicken we have we flower it with various spices and or seasonings. Arroz con pollo is by far the most popular among Puerto Rican’s. Other favored preparations include pollo al jerez (chicken in sherry), pollo agridulce (sweet and sour chicken), and pollitos asados a la parrilla (broiled chickens). Fish and seafood also are favored among many Puerto Rican’s. Fresh fish is often grilled, and perhaps flavored with garlic and an overlay of freshly squeezed lime juice. One interesting fact is that Puerto Ricans every so often also cook shrimp in beer (camarones en cerveza).
With that said this here comprises of a typical Puerto Rican’s food intake. Now I myself do embrace the traditional customs however I do sometimes cheat by eating fast food in my local area. Although I am conscious of what I eat one thing to note about me is that I am a picky eater. I have a thing with texture and if it doesn’t look appealing to me most likely I will not try to eat it. Hopefully through this class I can gain more understanding and embrace a new food culture.