Articles Index

How to Prepare Bacalao

Bacalao is easy to prepare but a bit time consuming. Bacalao is salted cod and to prepare one must soak in water to remove the salt. Here's how to prepare bacalao (salted cod) for cooking.

Spanish and European Ingredients

Christopher Columbus arrived in the area in 1492 and introduced sugarcane. It didn’t take long to discover that rum could be made from fermented cane juice. Bacardi Rum is a standard ingredient in many tropical refreshments. Other Europeans followed the Spain in colonizing the islands and brought with them their culinary trademarks.

African, Chinese and Indian Ingredients

Beginning in the early 1600s the slave trade brought foods from West Africa to the islands. After the abolishment of slavery, laborers from India and China came to work in the fields and on plantations.

Native South American and Mexican Ingredients

The proximity of the Caribbean to Mexico and South America encouraged trade between the native tribes. Here are some of the South American and Mexican ingredients they included in their food.

Native Caribbean Ingredients

The Arawaks and Caribs, two native tribes, originally occupied the Spanish influenced islands of The Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Here are some of the native ingredients they included in their food.