A homogeneous formula made from a blend of cilantro, sweet and spicy ají derived from the Tainos; garlic and onion from Spanish cuisine; and achiote, which makes the sofrito a culinary hallmark of Puerto Rico.
Likewise, codfish became a dish belonging to Puerto Rican culinary art, despite being imported from cold waters and far from the Caribbean. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, codfish imports increased from the Anglo-American market. It arrived salted and cured, but nevertheless, it became the main source of protein and part of the population's diet.
One of the reasons codfish was accepted was because of its affordability in feeding the population with limited resources, and also because it could be consumed on days when the Catholic Church prohibited meat consumption.
The religious factor was decisive for the integration of codfish into the diet of Puerto Ricans, as tropical fish could not be preserved and made available during days of abstinence. Later, with American colonization, the importation of codfish was affected by changes in import policies.
Today, codfish is not scarce in Puerto Rican homes, where alboronías— a codfish stew with a mashed celery base—are prepared, nor in street vendors where codfish fritters—very tasty to the palate—are never missing.
