Mofongo

Mofongo descends from West African methods of pounding starchy vegetables into a dense mass, closely related to fufu, brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans. The plantain itself also arrived in the Americas through that broader exchange.

In Puerto Rico the technique met Spanish ingredients — garlic, olive oil, pork — and produced something distinctly local. The dish is a clear illustration of how thoroughly African cooking shaped Caribbean food.

It is prepared in a pilón, a heavy wooden mortar and pestle that remains a common household item and is used to crush the garlic as well as to mash the plantain.

The plantains must be green and starchy rather than ripe and sweet. Ripe plantains produce a sweet, soft mash that is a different dish entirely.

They are peeled, cut into thick rounds and fried until cooked through and golden but not crisp, then transferred hot to the pilón.

There they are pounded with plenty of crushed garlic, olive oil or lard, salt, and chicharrón — fried pork crackling — until the mixture holds together. The texture should be dense and slightly coarse, never smooth.

The classic presentation packs the mash into a bowl and turns it out as a dome, often with a hollow pressed into the top and broth poured around or over it to keep it moist.

Mofongo relleno fills that hollow with a stew — shrimp in creole sauce, stewed chicken, octopus or beef — which is how it is most often served in restaurants.

A cup of chicken or garlic broth is usually served alongside, because the mash is dense and dry by design and the broth is what makes it comfortable to eat.