Holiday Food: Cuban Puerto Rican Dinners for Christmas & New Year's

Christmas is around the corner and the New Year will follow shortly after. Soon we will be saying goodbye to this year and welcoming in 2008. How will you spend this Holiday Season? What things will you do during the Holiday feast? I'm pretty sure I know one of the things you will do. I'm pretty sure you will eat! There is no good Holiday Season without good food. I'm telling you this from experience.

I want to share with you the foods that Hispanic people prepare and eat during Christmas and the New Year. I can only state the following because I've had experiences in eating these foods during these Holidays. When I say "Hispanic" people, I'm referring to people from Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Cuban Holiday Feast
There will always be food during the Cuban Holiday celebration. What kind of food will there be present? Well, Cuban people, me being Cuban, have the tendency to cook very tasty food in my opinion. One of the most famous dishes is "Arroz Congris con Puerco Asado." That dish consists of Rice and beans cooked together, and then pork cooked in an oven. The pork, however, has been seasoned and prepared the night before with special spices and marinated with traditional recipes. ]

The next day, the meat is full of flavor since all the spices are in the pores of the meat. Once it's cooked, it gives off an incredible smell; it makes the air taste good! Aside from the main dish, we also have prepared some salad, cold salad, and yucca. Yucca is accompanied by a "mojito" which is a sauce. It's different in every Cuban family, but it gives the food an extra kick of flavor. It usually consists of garlic, onions, salt, vinegar and olive oil; all mixed up together and made into a liquid.

Puerto Rican Holiday Feast
Well, Puerto Rican food is similar to Cuban food. I'm sure that they prepare the same thing for the Holidays. The only difference is that Puerto Rican families prepare "Arroz con Habichuelas" instead of "Arroz congris". It's the same idea; however, "habichuelas" are Puerto Rico's version of beans. It's just as good, however, and the special kick in flavor is all in the spices.

Now, for the meat, they prepare pork as well, the same way Cubans prepare it. They might have a different kind of "mojito" and a different name for it, but it's all the same idea. They accompany their main dish with cold salad, regular salad and other traditional Puerto Rican sides special for the Holidays.

These two countries might have different ways to prepare food and different ingredients, but the idea is the same. The idea is, to bring family and friends together during the Holidays and to enjoy a good meal with those you love. My friend, the Holiday season is very important, it makes us connect with our loved ones and share our experiences together so we could remember them in the future.

Then, we pass down the traditions generation by generation. Next time you are invited to a Cuban or Puerto Rican household for a Christmas or New Year's dinner, make sure you say yes. I promise the food will be good.