Best Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican Cookery is an English-language cookbook written by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli, first published in 1975. It serves as the English-language adaptation of her 1954 Spanish cookbook, Cocina Criolla, which cataloged traditional Caribbean recipes. The book covers the foundational ingredients and...
Miguel Zenón is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator born in 1976. His music combines modern jazz improvisation and composition with Puerto Rican and broader Latin Caribbean traditions, including folk songs and regional rhythms. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in...
Sopón de garbanzos is a traditional Puerto Rican stew centered around chickpeas, pork cuts such as ham hocks or tocino, and soft tubers. It reflects the island's Spanish culinary heritage while incorporating Caribbean ingredients and techniques. The stew is typically slow-cooked in a heavy caldero u...
Arroz con gandules is a traditional Puerto Rican rice dish deeply rooted in the island’s culinary heritage. It features rice cooked with gajitas (pigeon peas), sofrito – a flavorful base of onions, peppers, and garlic – and spices. This festive meal is commonly served at celebrations and gatherings...
Antonio Lopez was a Puerto Rican-born American fashion illustrator whose drawings appeared in publications including Vogue, The New York Times, and Women's Wear Daily. Working chiefly in New York and Paris, he became known for energetic figures, bold color, and an ability to reflect the fashion and...
Asopao de gandules is a Puerto Rican rice dish with a loose, soup-like consistency, made with pigeon peas and a seasoned cooking base that commonly includes sofrito. Tomatoes, annatto, olives, capers, herbs, and pork may appear in different versions, while the rice releases starch that thickens the...
Marc Anthony, born Marco Antonio Muñiz in 1968 in New York City, is an American salsa and Latin pop singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is one of the most commercially successful tropical salsa artists, having won multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards. His recordings include the singles 'Vivir Mi V...
"Coconuts and Collards" is a cookbook written by Von Diaz and published in 2018. The book explores the intersection of Puerto Rican culinary traditions and Southern United States foodways, framing the recipes through the lens of the author's personal family history and migration. Diaz adapts traditi...
When I Was Puerto Rican is a 1993 memoir by Esmeralda Santiago recounting her childhood in rural Puerto Rico and her family's migration to New York City during her adolescence. It follows her experiences of poverty, family change, schooling, language, and cultural adjustment from a child's developin...
Asopao de pollo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish consisting of chicken and rice cooked together in a savory broth. It combines elements of soup and paella, resulting in a hearty, stew-like consistency. The dish typically includes sofrito, olives, capers, and various seasonings to build its flavor...
José Cabranes is a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1979, he became the first Puerto Rican appointed to a federal district court in the continental United States when he joined the District of Connecticut. He has also served as a professor at both Yale Law Scho...
Arroz Mamposteao is a rustic Puerto Rican comfort food made by sautéing leftover white rice with stewed beans, sofrito, and garlic. The dish is designed to repurpose day-old rice, which is pan-fried until slightly toasted and then combined with rich, flavorful beans, typically pink or red kidney bea...
Pedro Albizu Campos (1891-1965) was a Puerto Rican attorney and prominent independence leader who served as president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death. Educated at Harvard University, Albizu Campos organized pro-independence activities and uprisings against United Stat...
Ricky Martin is a Puerto Rican singer born in 1971 in San Juan who first gained fame as a member of the boy band Menudo in the 1980s. He launched a successful solo career and his 1999 English-language single "Livin' la Vida Loca" became a global phenomenon, helping catalyze the Latin pop explosion i...
Luis Oliva is a Puerto Rican actor, mime and comedian born in 1951, trained with Etienne Decroux in France and later acted with Marcel Marceau.
Voltaire's Heart is an epistolary novel that uses historical correspondence to explore philosophical themes and the intellectual networks surrounding its titular subject.
