Boricua Food Glossary
Speak the menu.
A glossary of 40 Puerto Rican and Caribbean food terms — the dishes, ingredients, and traditions behind the Boricua plate. Bookmark it. Pronounce it. Order with confidence next time you walk in.
Sandwiches
- TripletaTriple-meat sandwich/tree-PLEH-tah/
- A Puerto Rican sandwich layering three meats (typically chicken, pork, and ham) on warm Puerto Rican bread with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo, and shoestring potatoes. See on the menu →
- CubanoCuban sandwich/koo-BAH-no/
- A pressed sandwich of pork, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard. Originated in Tampa and Miami; the Boricua version uses pan sobao instead of Cuban bread. See on the menu →
- Media Noche"Midnight" sandwich/MEH-dee-ah NOH-cheh/
- A smaller, sweeter cousin of the Cubano, named because it was traditionally eaten after a night out. Same fillings (pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, mustard) on egg-enriched bread.
- JíbaritoPlantain sandwich/hee-bah-REE-toe/
- A Puerto Rican sandwich that uses fried green plantains (tostones) in place of bread. Filled with steak, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and garlic. Originated in Chicago in 1996.
Bread
- Pan SobaoPuerto Rican soft bread/pahn so-BAH-oh/
- The defining Boricua sandwich bread — soft, slightly sweet, enriched with lard or shortening. Stays pillowy when pressed warm. Different from firm Cuban bread.
- Pan de AguaPuerto Rican water bread/pahn deh AH-gwah/
- A leaner Puerto Rican white bread made with water, flour, yeast, and salt. Crustier than pan sobao, used for breakfast and certain sandwiches.
- MallorcaSweet egg roll/mah-YOR-kah/
- A spiral-shaped sweet bread roll dusted with powdered sugar. Eaten for breakfast plain, or split and pressed with ham and cheese for a sweet-savory sandwich.
Meats
- PernilRoast pork shoulder/pehr-NEEL/
- Slow-roasted Puerto Rican pork shoulder seasoned with garlic, oregano, and adobo. The crispy skin (cuerito) is prized. Traditionally served at holidays.
- LechónWhole roast pig/leh-CHOHN/
- Puerto Rico's national dish. A whole pig roasted slowly over charcoal until the skin shatters and the meat falls apart. Most famously served on the lechoneras of Guavate.
- BistecSteak/bee-STEHK/
- Spanish for steak. In Puerto Rican kitchens, usually thinly-sliced beef cooked on a flat-top with onions, garlic, sazón, and sometimes peppers.
- PolloChicken/POH-yoh/
- Spanish for chicken. In sandwiches typically griddled thin or pulled from stewed pollo guisado with sazón and adobo.
- JamónHam/hah-MOHN/
- Spanish for ham. Sliced deli ham on Boricua sandwiches; cured Spanish jamón is a separate tradition.
- TocinoBacon/toh-SEE-noh/
- Spanish for bacon. On El Punto's Gordito sandwich, crispy tocino layers with ham and pernil.
- CamarónShrimp/kah-mah-ROHN/
- Spanish for shrimp. Featured in surf-and-turf Boricua sandwiches like Mar y Tierra and Punto Max.
Sauces & Seasonings
- MayoKetchupPink sauce/MAH-yo-KEH-chup/
- Puerto Rican signature condiment of mayonnaise + ketchup + garlic + a touch of lime. Default sauce on most Boricua sandwiches.
- SofritoAromatic base/so-FREE-toh/
- The cooking foundation of Puerto Rican cuisine. Blended onions, garlic, peppers (ajíes dulces), cilantro, and recao. Goes into stews, beans, and rice.
- SazónSeasoning blend/sah-SOHN/
- Puerto Rican spice blend with annatto, garlic, cumin, coriander, and salt. Gives Boricua food its characteristic orange-red color.
- AdoboAll-purpose seasoning/ah-DOH-boh/
- Garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper blend rubbed on meats before cooking. The everyday seasoning of Puerto Rican kitchens.
- RecaoCulantro/reh-KAH-oh/
- Long-leaf herb (also called culantro) related to cilantro but stronger and earthier. Essential in sofrito and Puerto Rican stews.
- Ají DulceSweet pepper/ah-HEE DUL-seh/
- Small Caribbean sweet pepper that looks like a habanero but has no heat. Goes into sofrito for fragrance without spice.
Sides
- TostonesTwice-fried green plantains/toh-STOH-nehs/
- Green plantains sliced, fried, smashed flat, fried again, and salted. Crispy edges, soft inside. Typically served with mayoketchup or garlic mojo.
- MadurosSweet fried plantains/mah-DOO-rohs/
- Ripe yellow plantains sliced and fried until caramelized. Sweet and soft, the ying to tostones' yang.
- MofongoMashed plantain mound/moh-FOHN-goh/
- Mashed fried green plantains seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and chicharrón. Often shaped into a bowl and stuffed with stewed meat or seafood.
- AlcapurriaPlantain fritter/ahl-kah-POO-ree-ah/
- Puerto Rican fritter made from grated green banana and yautía, stuffed with seasoned ground beef or crab, and deep-fried.
- Arroz con GandulesRice with pigeon peas/ah-ROHS kohn gahn-DOO-lehs/
- The Puerto Rican national rice dish — yellow rice with pigeon peas, sofrito, pork, and sazón. Served with pernil at holidays.
- EmpanadillaFried turnover/em-pah-nah-DEE-yah/
- Fried half-moon turnovers with a wheat dough, stuffed with seasoned beef, chicken, or cheese. Smaller and crispier than empanadas.
Drinks
- Morir Soñando"To die dreaming"/moh-REER soh-NYAHN-doh/
- A Dominican drink of fresh orange juice blended with cold milk and ice. The name promises that drinking it is so good you could die dreaming.
- Café con LecheCoffee with milk/kah-FEH kohn LEH-cheh/
- Strong Puerto Rican espresso-style coffee with steamed or hot milk. Heavily sweetened. A breakfast staple.
- Malta IndiaMalt soda/MAHL-tah EEN-dee-ah/
- Non-alcoholic malted barley beverage popular across the Caribbean. Sweet, dark, slightly bitter. Often paired with cheese.
- Limonada de CocoCoconut lemonade/lee-moh-NAH-dah deh KOH-koh/
- Blended drink of fresh lemon juice, coconut cream, sugar, and ice. Tropical, cold, slightly tart.
- PiraguaShaved ice cone/pee-RAH-gwah/
- Puerto Rican shaved-ice treat shaped into a pyramid and topped with fruit syrup. Sold from carts on city corners in summer.
Tropical Fruits
- ParchaPassion fruit/PAHR-chah/
- Puerto Rican name for passion fruit. Tangy, tropical, vivid orange-yellow. The signature El Punto fresh juice. See on the menu →
- GuanábanaSoursop/gwah-NAH-bah-nah/
- Spiky green tropical fruit with creamy white flesh and a flavor between strawberry, pineapple, and citrus. Made into juice and shakes.
- MameyMamey sapote/mah-MAY/
- Tropical fruit with creamy reddish-orange flesh and a flavor like sweet potato meets pumpkin meets honey. Blended into thick batidos (shakes).
Desserts
- BudínBread pudding/boo-DEEN/
- Puerto Rican bread pudding made from stale pan sobao soaked in spiced milk and eggs, baked dense with raisins and cinnamon.
- FlanCaramel custard/FLAHN/
- Smooth egg custard topped with caramelized sugar. The default Puerto Rican dessert at weddings, holidays, and family meals.
- Tres Leches"Three milks" cake/TREHS LEH-chehs/
- Sponge cake soaked in three milks (evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream) and topped with whipped cream. Light, sweet, and impossibly moist.
Culture & Cooking
- SandwicheraSandwich shop/sahnd-wee-CHEH-rah/
- Puerto Rican sandwich-focused eatery. Less formal than a restaurant, more focused than a bodega. The kind of place that lives or dies by its tripleta.
- BoricuaPuerto Rican/boh-REE-kwah/
- Adjective and identity term for Puerto Rican people, derived from Borikén — the Taíno indigenous name for the island. A point of pride.
- JíbaroPuerto Rican country folk/HEE-bah-roh/
- Historically the rural mountain farmer of Puerto Rico. The word now signifies cultural authenticity, hard work, and traditional values.
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