Gluten Free in Puerto Rico

I took a great trip to Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving and learned a lot of helpful info for people with gluten intolerance who plan to travel there.  Don’t worry, there are plenty of local foods you can still enjoy!  Here are my tips:

• Learn to say the following phrases in Spanish: “Hay harina de trigo en este?” (Is there wheat flour in this?)  and “Yo tengo un alergia a la harina de trigo” (I have an allergy to wheat flour).

• As usual, breakfast is the most challenging meal to eat gluten free – the hotel continental breakfast of toast and cereal is not an option, nor are the muffins at the corner bakery.  We were staying in San Juan, so Cafe Mallorca was our go-to place every morning for fruit salad, eggs, and fries (in Spanish: “ensalada de fruta y huevos con papas”).

• The classic Puerto Rican dish is mofongo–cooked plantains mashed with garlic and olive oil.  It can be served with chicken or seafood on the side, sometimes with a spicy Puerto Rican Criolla sauce, which is also gluten free.  Mofongo can also be served as mofongo relleno, a mashed plantain stuffed with ground beef or seafood inside.

• Plantains can be made into maduras (a sweet side dish) or tostones (twice-fried flattened pieces of plantain).

• Another popular side dish in Puerto Rico is yuca, a type of starchy vegetable similar to a potato, which is served either boiled or as fries.  Sometimes you will see bags of yuca chips or plantain chips as snacks too.

• Strolling the Paseo de La Princesa in San Juan is the thing to do in the evenings after dinner, to listen to the musicians there and buy a sweet snack.  We loved the china mondada booth, where 50 cents gets you a large orange that is already peeled and you can eat as you stroll.

• The other not-to-miss place for authentic Puerto Rican food is the Luquillo Kioskos.  Some great gluten free choices here include arroz con jueyes (rice with crab), pinchos (chunks of chicken or pork threaded in a skewer and grilled like a kebab), papas rellenas (a big lump of mashed potatoes stuffed with meat and deep-fried, see photo above), and coco dulce (a dessert of fresh grated coconut and caramelized sugar, similar to a praline).  Be warned about the papas rellenas – they are very filling and a meal in itself!

• Mavi is a traditional native drink made from fermented tree bark and tastes like a cross between root beer & ginger ale.

• You MUST go to a Lechonera up in the Cordillera Central for lunch on the weekend!  Here you can get slow roasted pig with rice, beans, and salad on the side.

• There are a number of high end restaurants on Calle de la Fortaleza in San Juan.  One of our favorites was an indulgent seafood dinner of oysters, ceviche, and scallop risotto, followed by flourless chocolate cake for dessert at Aguaviva.