Mofongo: The Story Behind Puerto Rico’s Unofficial National Dish

Mofongo has roots in Puerto Rican, African, Spanish, and North American traditions. Juan José Cuevas, an executive chef in 1919 said that West Africans came to Taino Puerto Rico in the 1500s and they brought with them their dish called fufu. It is a food made from plantains, cassava, or yams that are boiled and then pounded. Eventually, Taíno and Spanish flavors were added and this became mofongo.