Eating Puerto Rico: A History of Food, Culture, and Identity

Selected Glossary

261 Selected Glossary Achiote (Bixa orellana): A seed produced by the achiote tree, native to the tropical belt of the Americas. The word is of Mexican origin (achiotle), although the scientific term, bija, derives from Arawak. There are two varieties of the seed, red and yellow, with the latter being more highly valued, because—containing 2 percent more coloring—it produces a brighter, more luxuriant sheen. For its ability to add color and flavor, achiote is indispensable to a great many Puerto Rican and Caribbean dishes (it is known as rocou in the French Antilles). Its continued use through the colonial period to the contemporary era was facilitated by the central role that saffron and palm oil played in the food and cooking of Andalusian immigrants and of Africans, respectively. In earlier times, the seeds were sautéed in lard to color the fat and lend both flavor and coloring to what was cooked. Their constant use was also indicative of the presence, during that time, of the achiotera, a type of sieve employed for straining the colored fat, which was then reserved for other uses. In testimony to its popularity among both Puerto Ricans and people of the Caribbean more widely, agroindustry has made achiote available in combination with other flavoring supplements, such as garlic powder and dehydrated recao. In much home as well as commercial cooking , however, it is being replaced by a product known as Bijol, demonstrating the capacity of agroindustry to weave in appeals to the native elements of the island’s cuisine. Alboronía or Boronía: In Puerto Rico, a stew made with chayote (Sechium edule) and scrambled eggs. Analogous to the Andalusian dish of the same name, which is made with eggplant. 262 Selected Glossary Alcapurria: A type of fritter or turnover made with plantain, cassava, or tannier dough, or a combination of these, to which fat colored with annatto and salt is added. Using one’s hands and a spoon, the dough is spread onto plantain leaves or the leaves from the sea grape tree, or—as is done today by city dwellers or the less tradition-minded—onto waxed paper. A filling of well-seasoned ground meat or stewed land crabs is also added and the leaves are folded into the desired shape. In the most authentic fry stands and other such establishments found along the island ’s northeast coast, the frying is done in lard. To many Puerto Ricans, alcapurrias top the list of the food served by the freidurías. Making them well calls for careful judgment and a good eye, above all in the grating by hand of the viandas, so that the dough is light, not dense, as well as in adding the coloring and getting the right degree of heat for frying, which is critical for producing alcapurrias that are crisp and crunchy, like those served up in the freidurías in the seaside town of Piñones, near San Juan. Although no one in Puerto Rico has managed to pinpoint its origin, the alcapurria clearly points in the direction of Middle Eastern cookery, being closely akin to the kibbi. Alternatively, the word “alcapurria” could be connected to the figurative use of the word al-kappára, derived from aljamiada, as found in Andalusian vernacular. According to the lexicographer Antonio Medina Molera, the word alcaparrón—the fruit of the caper plant—is used figuratively in Andalusian popular speech to indicate the penis of a male child. Alfajor: A sweet that, though taking its name from the popular Christmas sweets of Medina Sidonia, in Andalusia, is completely different in appearance and basic ingredients. In Puerto Rico, it has a flattened rather than cylindrical shape, and the base is composed not of ground almonds but of ground cassava, to which is added sugarcane syrup—instead of honey—cinnamon, anise, pepper, and cloves. The ingredients are mixed together and heated, then allowed to cool, after which the mixture is cut into pieces. In the popular confectionary of the coastal regions other ingredients, such as grated coconut, are also used. Although from the mid-nineteenth century on, the alfajor appeared in almost all Puerto Rican cookbooks, it is a rarity today. Alfeñique: From the Arabic al-finig, a confection that shares its name with the Mexican alfeñiques, or Day of the Dead sugar skulls, but is prepared very differently. The custom in Puerto Rico is to make this sweet with [3.147.205.154] Project MUSE (2024...