"Richard Periut" > wrote in message
...
> AM wrote:
> > J Krugman wrote:
<snip>
> As far as Cuban and PR cooking being differernt; only in certain things.
> The rest is the same (sancocho=asopao=ajiaco), pernil=pernil and pretty
> much seasoned the same; et cetera. OK, you have Mofongo (which I really
> like) and we have Ropa Vieja and Frijoles Negros. : ) Rem, the Guajiros
> were mostly of Spanish origin, and perhaps in PR the Taino people might
> of mixed in with the Spanish a bit more. Alas, in Cuba, they were
> quickly killed by the Spanish in their lust for gold--which was really
> abundant in Mexcio and not the Carribean.
Hi Richard...
You have part of the equation right, but sancocho and asopao are completely
different... it's sancocho and ajiaco that are very similar because they are
cooked with a variety of meats and root vegetables, and served with a side
dish of white rice usually cooked with some fatback (tocino)... not cooked
with it. Asopao is a soupy rice or a ricey soup, whichever you choose to
describe it... but it definitely does not use any root veggies at all. The
closest any starch gets to it (besides the rice) is the twice-fried green
plantains (tostones) served with it as a must-have side dish.
As for the Tainos survival rate in
PR, the Spaniards killed them off too,
but at a slower rate because there was some gold in
PR and they needed them
to work it. There are no Tainos left, despite a New Jersey group of whackos
who are trying to get the government to acknowledge them as the last living
Tainos... all of this in their quest for funds and special treatment because
they want to be included in the list of Native American Tribes.
Regards,
Sandra