Puerto Rican Customs?

anjellyca721

Does anyone know any Puerto Rican traditional food/music/dance/other wedding traditions?

I'm Mexican, he's PR and I want to incorporate his culture into our wedding, but I only know the MX traditions. 

Thanks!

MsSunshine

For food you can't go wrong with arroz con gandules, Arroz blanco con habichuelas accompanied with pollo guisado, Mofongo (smashed up plantain with chicharron or chicken), Pernil, bacalaitos fritos (crunchy cod fritters), tostones (fried platanos), Alcapurrias (sweet plantain/potato with ground beef or crab filling), Surullitos (sweet plump cornmeal fingers), Rellenos de Papa (potato ball with meat filling), pastellios (empanadas), pasteles (tamale). There's so much out there

You can also hire a Bomba Y Plena band which plays folkloric music and dancing.

MsSunshine

Oh I forgot to tell you that I was watching a wedding show called "My Fair Wedding" where a girl wanted to incorporate her PR heritage into her Mexico themed wedding. For the appetizer, she had plantain chip with guacamole. It looked really good!  Another knottie on this board recently posted something about wedding traditions for PR. Just scroll down and you'll find it. Good luck!

sap221

Great ideas!!!! I love the platain chips with guacomole!

anjellyca721

thx sooo much!!!!!!!

do you know of any PR desserts? 

MsSunshine

Yes, there is pineapple upside down cake, rum pound cake, Pina Colada cake, tembleque (light coconut custard) and flan which is the most popular dessert.

Check this recipe site out: http://www.elboricua.com/recipes.html

jenandcris

You're a saint, Jen! (o: Look at us girls marrying these PR men! There's more of us than I thought!

MsSunshine

I forgot to tell you there is another dessert and it's the traditional PR cake "Bizcocho Mojadito" It's so good! It's just like tres leches cake but flavored with almond extract. You can probably have this as the wedding cake. it's very popular for any occassion.

anjellyca721

Sounds yummy!  Thanks Jen!

Carolito

Thank you for all this ideas! My FC is also from PR (Nuyorican, really) and all this ideas are great. We are planning something that we have called "Vintage Caribbean Glamour". I'm Dominican and his PR, so we think it will be great. We are going for that "Viejo San Juan" feeling (think 40's Copacabana style). We are going to have all that yummy food, mixed with Dominican dishes. I cant wait!

aixa27

Hi there! If you're going to be married in December and his family ots from Puerto Rico you can offer Coquito. This its similar to egnogg and its delicious. We served it here in Puerto Rico for Christmas... Here its the recipe..

Coquito is a traditional punch served at Christmas and New Years celebrations. The drink is similar to eggnog with rum. This particular recipe does not call for raw eggs. Nor does it call for you to crack open a fresh coconut. It's a very simple mixed drink.

Prep Time: 10 minutesIngredients:2 15-ounce cans cream of coconut2 14-ounce cans condensed milk6 ounces white rum (use less if you like)1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg1 teaspoon coconut (or vanilla) extractPreparation:1. Mix all ingredients in a blender.2. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving. Serve cold.Serves: This recipe makes about 36 ounces.

Boricua Gipsy

Boricua in da house!!!!! Yay!!! I'm Puerto Rican but my wedding will be Spanish, how's that!? LOL! After all we are ONE THIRD Spanish, ha! Anyway, MsSunshine did a pretty good job of mentioning all of our delicious Boricua dishes. I'm on a diet and I gotta tell you, reading that menu makes me want to go to Abuela Mima's house and eat everything she'll give me! If you want to make it cute have 'mofonguitos' or little balls of mashed plantain (recipe online). You HAVE TO serve Pina Colada, it's a must!, Arroz y habichuelas (rice and beans) is for Boricuas what hamburgers and hot dogs are for Americans, but for weddings that's considered 'ghetto', LOL! If you want to go with traditional Puerto Rican foods, follow MsSunshine's list of dishes. It's very accurate. Oh, and if you're having alcoholic drinks don't forget the Bacardi and Medalla beer which might as well be the Puerto Rican Coca-Cola, hahahahaha! Yo soy Boricua, Pa' que tu lo sepas!!! 

Boricua Gipsy

Oh, as for the music and customs, you can have salsa music (Gilberto Santa Rosa, El Gran Combo, La Selecta, or Hector Lavoe), reggaeton (if you dare, LOL!...Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Tito El Bambino), but if you want traditional folk music have a Bomba y Plena group. They will dance in traditional garments and play congas. A lot of Puerto Rican brides have Bomba y Plena groups in their weddings as a tribute to their heritage. You can also contact a "trovador", folkloric singers who improvise lyrics to music of the "cuatro" and "tres" guitar, very popular in traditional country fairs. Just Google "Puerto Rican customs and recipes" and you'll find everything you need.