Aunt Clara’s Dominican Cookbook concedes that mofongo, a dish with a special place in the hearts and stomachs of Dominicans, actually originates in the neighboring island of Puerto Rico. Not surprisingly, I know some Dominicans who would take serious issue with that claim. Mofongo is the flagship dish in many typical Dominican restaurants like Adrian Tropical, which offers a number of variations on the theme, so Dominicans would consider it heresy to label it as a foreign import.

Mofongo is an extremely tasty and filling dish made with plantains: fried, mashed with garlic, shaped into a ball and served in a pilón (the mortar bit of the pestle and mortar), another unmistakable symbol of Dominican cooking. Classic mofongo is made with chicharrón (fried pork rind) and Adrian Tropical also does a chicken version and – my choice – a garlic prawn alternative – all served with a garlicky broth to moisten the plantain and bring out the flavor. It can be eaten for lunch or supper, and is also a popular snack for late-night revelers.



Go to Puerto Rico and you’ll find the same thing – mofongo is all over the place there too. In fact, so much of Puerto Rican cuisine is similar to Dominican, that it’s difficult to say who invented what. There are some differences, like in the spelling: what we know as guandules (pigeon peas) in the DR is spelled gandules in Puerto Rico. Similar or identical dishes sometimes have different names.

I had the pleasure of visiting Puerto Rico last month, and my seven-year old son gave a special vote of approval for ‘pinchos’ – that universal treat of barbecued chicken, fish or meat on a skewer also known as brochettes, kebabs or pinchitos elsewhere. Bearing in mind my less than carnivorous tendencies, I enjoyed a simple but delicious plate of garbanzos (chickpeas).

Mofongo – never, ever to be confused with mondongo – is a sensitive subject. I always have to think twice before saying the word, especially when ordering in a restaurant, because I don’t know what I’d do if a steaming plate of innards was put in front of me, instead of mofongo. I’m also going to re-read this article very carefully to make sure I haven’t put my foot in it, so to speak.

Both nations, as I said, claim mofongo as their own. But before the battle heats up, I’m going to suggest a truce, in the interest of maintaining the cordial relationship between the two neighbors.

How’s this for a compromise? Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine share the exact same roots: Taíno, African and Spanish. Both countries have Middle Eastern and Chinese immigrants, as well as European influences apart from the Spanish, the only striking difference being the Corsican influx to Puerto Rico. Later influences may have varied – for obvious reasons Puerto Rico has a much stronger US influence than the Dominican Republic, for example, while the DR has closer contact with its Haitian neighbors. Mofongo, however, comes from the African side of the family so that’s where we shall say its origins really lie.

Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are the grateful heirs.

First off it all started in Cuba with Fufu de platano yellow plantains smashed with lime and served with meat brought over by slaves. It later turned in to Dominican mangu boiled smash green plantains. Mofongo and most people not only in Puerto Rico but all over agree that it originated in Puerto Rico even some Dominican there selfs say its a Puerto Rican dish. "As popular as it is in The Dominican Republic, Dominicans borrowed it from Puerto Ricans and adjusted it to the dish slightly to their liking, said Ramona Hernandez, director of Dominican Studies Institute of the New York University." Puerto Rico and Dominicans share a lot in common in food and have traded off recipes and adjusted dished. Puerto Rico is the Caribbean land mark for food and rum. Plantain dish such as tostones, pastelon de platano, pasteles and alcaplurrias all came from Puerto Rico and have been a favorite of a Dominican table.

Dominican... Puerto rican... Cuban... It is all the same if you ask me. The natives were Taino on those islands. They all shared a similar fate. We are all the same. We all share a similar ancestry and similar, if not identical, dishes. Let's stop trying to divide and stick together as people of the Caribe. Remember, the definition of Taino is good or noble. Let's be noble and forget all our differences and focus on our similarities.

I agree with you Azua&Bani, it's counterproductive to argue over this, and pretty hard to ascertain in most cases the true origin of a dish. Not that it matters really, foods travel, adapt, change, evolve.

Kipes, yaniqueques, espaguetis, chofan... who can say those are not Dominican? It is only in an academic sense that it matters where they come from, a cultural curiosity. The tongue does not care.