"Ndeipi imwe ndiro iyo vanhu vanoshanyira kuPuerto Rico vanofanira kuedza?" Ndine mukana wekubvunza mubvunzo uyu wevatariri vanoverengeka vakanga vari kutora chikamu pamusika wekudya weSaborea, unoitwa gore negore muchitsime muSan Juan.
Vafudzi vana vaibva kuPuerto Rico: Giovanna Huyke, "Julia Child wePuerto Rico" iye zvino anotarisira kicheni paresitorendi yekuLatin America Mio muWashington DC; Elvin Rosado, mudzidzisi wePuerto Rico's national culinary team uye mukuru mukuru weTexas deBrazil muSheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino ; Edwin Robles, sous chef muRange muWashington DC; uye Christian Quiñones, mutungamiri mukuru weTrattoria Italiana uye Crudo Bar paContcontinental Hotel Isla Verde.
Mhinduro yavo yakanga yakafanana: " mofongo ." Zvikonzero izvi? Kusiyana kwechinyorwa:
"Icho chikafu muPuerto Rico."
"Inoenda nezvose."
"Ndiyo tsika yakawanda yePuerto Rico."
"Nhoroondo yaro ... nzira yatinoita nayo ..."
"Hapana anozviita sesu."
Mofongo inotangira mu fufu , ndiro inobva kuAfrica. Fufu inogadzirwa kubva kune yakabikwa yakadyiwa mashed muhave. MaAfrica varanda muSpain New World colonies vakaunza rudzi urwu rwekubika muCaribbean sekutanga kwezana remakore rechi16.
Mofongo yakasiyana ne fufu mukuti inowanzogadzirwa nemichero yakabikwa, iyo inokosha muPuerto Rico. Mbeu dzakakangwa dzakasanganiswa dzakasvibiswa, pamwe nemukaka, nyama yegorosi inoputika kana bhakoni, uye kupisa, mupiloni (yakafanana nehuni dhaka uye pestle), uye inozopararira zvakafanana kumativi ose. Chigumisiro chinokonzerwa nehupfu hunoumba hutete hwakareba hwezadza, izvo zvinogona kusanganisira nyama yakawanda, hove, miriwo, uye muto kana muto.
Mofongo inowanzobatanidzwa nemakumbo-kunyanya mbudzi-uye necheki ( inodyiwa yenguruve).
Kunyange idzi dzakakwirira dzePuerto Rican dzakabvumirana dzinoti nzvimbo dzakanakisisa dzekutora mofongo dzinowanzova maduku, ma-and-pop mahodeji anogadzirira kudya uye netsika. Zvisinei, Quiñones akapa mazano akawanda ekusiyana kwe mofongo, kusanganisira trifongo , yakagadzirwa nekassava midzi uye yakakora uye yakasvibirira plantains; uye mofongo de pana , mofongo yakagadzirwa nemichero yechingwa, isitashi iyo inowanikwa mumatongo.
Casa Lola Criollo Kitchen, yakanaka-dishing establishment inotungamirirwa naChef Robert Trevino mune chido cheCastado yeSan Juan, inoshandisa mitatu mitatu mofongo pamwe chete neropa-winning sangria. Takarayira mofongo maruva pamazano evhavha redu: iyo shell yakagadzirwa kubva yucca uye yakazadzwa nebhomu ine scallops, shrimp, uye squid. Dzimwe shanduro dzinosanganisira jira reketi, ropa vieja (shredded flank steak mu tomato sauce), bhakoni, uye tamarind muto; uye chisarudzo chezvirimwa, chakagadzirwa nekasesava midzi uye chakafukidzwa nehairi, mushwa, anyezi, pepper, Swiss chard, uye cherry tomato.
Apo takamirira kurongeka kwedu, ini neshamwari yangu takamwa sangria, takaseka, takataurirana bartender, uye takatora mifananidzo yemumwe nemumwe, kungova nezvose-zvakapoteredza nguva yakanaka. Ipapo ndiro ndiro yakauya. Ndakaisa foshoro yangu padanda rakasimba reMofongo. Ndakamanikidzira pasi, uye yakarohwa. Yakandiyeuchidza kuputsa shell ye crème brûlée. Sezvakaita nekaiyo yakashambadzira yeFrench, kuputika shell ye mofongo inoratidzira kunaka kwezviri mukati, asi shell pachayo inofadza zvakaenzana.
Ndakatanga kudya mofongo. Zvakanga zvisingaiti: kufungidzira kwemafuta akanaka, maitiro akazodza muromo wangu.
Zvokudya zvegungwa, muto mutsva, uye kuputika kwechigamba zvakanyatsorongedzwa zvakanaka. Iyo mofongo yakazara nemami inofadza uye inogutsa, inofanidza iyo inoshamisa inonhuwira.
Yakanyarara. Ndakanga ndakatarisa. Ndaive nechinangwa. Ichi chaiva chiitiko chinokosha. Pakupedzisira, shamwari yangu yakataura. "Iwe hauna kutaura shoko kubva pawakatanga kudya."
Haana kuwedzeredza. Sei uchitaura, iwe unogona kudya mofongo?
(Cherechedza shamwari dzangu nemhuri: pakupedzisira, iyi ndiyo nzira yekuita kuti ndive ndakanyarara: Isa ndiro ye mofongo pamberi pangu.)
Ndakadya zvese zvekupedzisira zvezvokudya. Ndakanga ndichiedzwa kuti ndinyoreke ndiro yakachena, asi ndinonzwisisa uye kazhinji ndinogara nemagariro evanhu. (Kunyange zvazvo ini nguva dzose ndaifunga kuti iyo ndiyo inonyanya kukoshesa kupa chef).
Mofongo ndiyo yakanakisisa yekudya kwePuerto Rican, inoshandisa zvose zvinyorwa zvenharaunda muchigadzirwa chekusika asi chiri nyore, chinonaka uye chinogutsa.
Pandakadzokera kumusha, mubvunzo wega wega wekushanyira kwangu waiva: "Wakave nemafuta akawanda here?"
Ndakanga ndisina zvikwereti. Ndinoshuva dai ndaizova neropafadzo yekuravira zvakare. Ndiri pane pfupfupi yezvikonzero zvandichadzoka kuPuerto Rico.
Tarisa Puerto Rico Matengo uye Zvinyorwa muCarol