Soul Food from a Caribbean Island
San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. In a small restaurant in the old town, lined with colorful buildings, a golden dome piled in a wooden mortar is brought to the table. The smell of garlic tickles the nose. This is mofongo, soul food that Puerto Rico is proud to share with the world.
Mofongo is soul food from the Caribbean side of Latin American cooking (in Japanese): fried green plantains mashed in a wooden mortar with garlic and chicharron (fried pork skin), then molded into a dome. It is crisp on the outside and chewy inside. It can be eaten on its own, as "mofongo relleno" with chicken soup poured over, or in a luxurious version topped with garlic shrimp sauce.
There are several theories about the origin of the name. The most prominent is that it derived from fufu, the pounded dishes of West Africa. African people brought to Spanish-ruled Puerto Rico in the 16th century are said to have applied the cooking method of the fufu of their homelands to Caribbean plantains. Spanish garlic culture and the Taino people's knowledge of ingredients blended in, and mofongo was born.
A Caribbean dish from Puerto Rico. Fried green plantains, garlic, and chicharron are mashed in a wooden mortar (pilon) and shaped. Its roots are in West African fufu. It arose in the Spanish colonial period from the blending of African, Spanish, and Taino food cultures.
Search for mofongo in Japanese and you get only a few lines in a travel diary. In English, abundant recipes exist under "Puerto Rico's national dish." If Ghanaian fufu represents West African food culture, mofongo could be called its "Caribbean version." Together with Jamaican jerk chicken, it is one of the two pillars of Caribbean cooking. This article explains how to recreate authentic mofongo with ingredients you can find in an ordinary supermarket.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Main ingredients
Plantains are the hardest step to source. Look in Latin, Caribbean, and Asian grocery stores, where they are sometimes sold frozen. If you cannot find them at all, substitute green bananas. Ripe (yellow) bananas are too sweet and not suited to mofongo.
This recipe contains pork (when using chicharron). If you want to avoid pork, omit the chicharron or substitute fried chicken skin for the crisp bacon. For a fully meat-free version, finish with only garlic and olive oil as "mofongo vegetariano."
How to Eat Mofongo
Mofongo's life is freshly made and piping hot. It turns hard as it sits, so serve it as soon as it is made. The proper way to eat is to break the dome with a fork and mix it with the sauce.
You work through the dome little by little, mix in the sauce, and bring it to your mouth. That sequence is the mofongo experience. Besides the shrimp sauce, you can enjoy it with these sauces.
- Sopa de pollo: pour chicken soup over for "mofongo relleno"
- Mojo criollo: a sauce of garlic, vinegar, and olive oil
- Salsa roja: a tomato-based salsa
History and Culture: A Dish Blending Three Continents
Where Africa, Spain, and the Taino met
The roots of mofongo are in West African fufu. Ghanaian fufu is a dish of cassava or yam pounded in a mortar. In the 16th-century Spanish colonial period, people brought from Africa carried this cooking method to the Caribbean.
The Taino were indigenous people of the Caribbean who had techniques for cultivating plantain and cassava. These ingredients remained after the Spanish conquest and merged with African cooking methods.
Mofongo's spread across the world
Mofongo has spread from Puerto Rico around the world.
| Region | Variation |
|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | Mangu. Boiled plantains mashed with butter |
| Cuba | Fufu de platano. Mashed more smoothly |
| Colombia | Patacon pisao. Fried plantains fried a second time |
| New York | Spread by Puerto Rican immigrants. A specialty of the Bronx |
As a symbol of the food culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora, mofongo is loved across borders.
The culture of the pilon
Essential to talking about mofongo is the pilon. A set of a hollowed-out wooden mortar and pestle, it gives a deeper taste the more it is used, as the aroma of garlic soaks in.
Variations
Mofongo relleno (soup-style)
Make a hollow in the center of the dome and pour in plenty of chicken soup. The mofongo, softened by the soup, takes on a texture like rice porridge. It is a classic for cold nights in Puerto Rico (though "cold" there means around 20 degrees C).
Mofongo de mariscos (seafood)
Use a mix of squid, mussels, and white fish in place of the shrimp. A little saffron in the tomato sauce gives it a bright Mediterranean finish. A Caribbean seafood dish alongside Peruvian ceviche (in Japanese).
Vegetarian mofongo
Omit the chicharron and finish with only garlic and olive oil. For the sauce, pair it with a tomato stew of roasted vegetables (zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant). The plantain itself has enough savoriness and texture that it is satisfying without meat.
Side Dishes That Go with Mofongo
On the Puerto Rican table, these go with mofongo.
- Arroz con gandules: rice with pigeon peas. A Puerto Rican staple
- Ensalada de aguacate: avocado salad with lemon and olive oil
- Tostones: twice-fried plantain chips. A relative of mofongo
- Mabi: a traditional fermented drink made from tree bark
Like Mexican mole poblano, mofongo is a "blend of the Old and New Worlds" born in the Spanish colonial period. In Latin America and the Caribbean there are many unique dishes born of such cultural crossings.
More Dishes to Make
- How to make pernil (in Japanese): you can follow it up with more from the same country's table.
- How to make chimichurri (in Japanese): ingredients and aromas from the same region can be reused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can I substitute ordinary bananas for green plantains?
Ripe yellow bananas will not work. They are too sweet and will not make mofongo. Green bananas work. Green bananas are starchy and close to plantains in texture. Even ordinary supermarket bananas can be used if you choose ones that are completely green. But the Puerto Rican flavor needs plantains.
Q2. I cannot find chicharron. What can I use?
The easiest substitute is crisp-fried bacon. Fry sliced bacon in a pan until crisp and chop it coarsely. Packaged "pork rind chips" also work. The flavor is slightly different, but it fills the textural role.
Q3. Can I make it ahead?
Mofongo's life is freshly made. It turns hard as time passes and the texture suffers. If you must make ahead, cover the mashed mixture with plastic wrap and warm it in a 600 W microwave for 1–2 minutes just before eating. A little garlic oil spooned on then brings back softness.
Q4. Can children eat it?
Yes. The plantain itself has no spice, and if you reduce the garlic it comes out mild. Ketchup beside it instead of the shrimp sauce is popular with children. It is also known as a favorite of children in Puerto Rico.
Q5. What is the difference between mofongo and tostones?
Both are fried green plantain dishes, but the cooking differs. Tostones are "chips": rounds fried, flattened, and fried a second time. Mofongo is fried plantain "mashed and shaped" with garlic and chicharron. Tostones are an appetizer or snack. Mofongo is a main dish.
Summary
Mofongo is a dish born from the blending of the food cultures of Africa, Spain, and the Taino. You simply mash three ingredients in a mortar: fried green plantains, garlic, and chicharron. Cooking time is 45 minutes. No special skill is needed.
The strong aroma of garlic, the chewy plantain, the crunch of chicharron. This trinity of texture and flavor is unforgettable once tasted. It is also appealing that you can enjoy endless variations by changing the sauce.
If Brazilian feijoada is a product of Portuguese colonial culture, mofongo is a masterpiece born of Spanish colonial culture and African food memory. Please experience this plate that carries the Caribbean breeze in your own kitchen.
Sources
- Maisonet, Illyanna. Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook. Ten Speed Press, 2022.
- Presilla, Maricel E. Gran Cocina Latina. W. W. Norton, 2012.
- Ortiz, Yvonne. A Taste of Puerto Rico. Dutton, 1994.
