Hidden Gems: The Mountain Food of Puerto Rico | On the Road

[@N.Alicea]

🇵🇷Thank you so much for featuring our mountain cuisine. It is so fragrant, delicious and nutritious. The video brought so many beautiful childhood and adolescent memories of years gone by. The memories come alive and make me remember the warm and joyous family gatherings, the smell of food, mountain rain and breeze, sweet tropical flowers and fruits and fertile earth, the traditional music... those were the days !!! Times were so innocent, full of life, sun, vegetation, the heavenly songs of birds, coquies, church bells. The catholic festivities united us ALL as a nation. I am forever thankful to GOD that I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, especially, during those golden years (40's - 70's). God bless and protect our Island and let us preserve, enjoy and share our finest traditions ❤

[@carolinebarry7999]

We rarely get to see stories from the Puerto Rican mountains, this episode is a special treat. I want to eat at their cozy restaurant!

[@Fih24-vj4zb]

No PR is not the U.S. stay away

[@amgooder]

True, campo life and cooking🤌🏻

[@brianklaus2468]

Bryan has the best job - he gets to travel, eat great food and meet wonderful people

[@Graycy808]

YUM! I had a boyfriend in high school who was Puerto Rican and his mom made their version of tamales that uses plantain to make the dough instead of masa. The sauce she made to cook them in was amazing!! Every Christmas she made them and I made sure I got in on the feast every year we were together. Definitely a factor in how long we stayed together, lol, didnt want to miss out on his mama's cooking! Everything was always so delicious. This reminds me of some of the other dishes she made. Those were definitely my favorite though!

[@Dbbrainer]

Yes, Pasteles. Tamales are corn-based and very different (dont mean to say that in a negative light). Criollo cuisine is a treasure passed on by our mothers, for sure.

[@RuthBonilla-hd1bs]

Puerto Rico's Mountain people and the food are awsome ❤🇵🇷

[@veevee111]

I love the food and warmth of the people in Puerto Rico, the Isle of Enchantment --La Isla Del Encanto.

[@ccartist516]

Oh my God. My mouth watered. Added to the list of places to visit when I go back home. CONGRATULATIONS from Cape Cod. I love that ATK has been including Puerto Rico in recent months.

[@evelynmorales6774]

Mi Bello Puerto Rico, te anoro!!!😢

[@ruthm8931]

This is exactly why I love YT- these excellent travels with Bryan on the road are my favorite! What an outstanding taste Puerto Rico, the woman and her son are absolutely making my mouth water!!!

[@elsafischer3247]

When I went to the uni in New York and we did a trip to Puerto Rico and we went to the mountains and the beaches. The mountains were beautiful and the people were beautiful too. The tourist should do a trip around the island

[@lowki07]

No, stay away!

[@lisamzayas]

Thank you for visiting Puerto Rico and for posting this video. I appreciate it.

[@minervavargas-miletti235]

🎉🎉🎉 Finally!! Awesome program. ❤❤❤❤ There is a huge treasure to enjoy within Puerto Rico's 'mountain' townships!!

[@richardhale2117]

This is an an excellent video, going off the common destinations for visitors to PR, but eminently doable if you're even slightly adventurous. Thanks, Bryan!

[@viclizardi6152]

I could actually smell the food Thank you for this trip

[@TOM7952]

I'm surprised PBS doesn't make this into a full series. Hopefully they will at some point.

[@KenS1267]

Recao, also called culantro, needs wider exposure. People who can taste cilantro as something besides soap say it tastes like a stronger cilantro. I, someone who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, finds recao very pleasant. If it was in wider use instead of cilantro I would spend so much less time picking garnishes off my dishes in restaurants.

[@itsleokid2075]

Great story, you know that Cilantro is also in sofrito which is one of the seasoning bases Puerto Rican and other cultures use in most cooking. I’m sure you like the taste of that!

[@KenS1267]

@@itsleokid2075 I'm sure you fail to understand basic chemistry. People who genetically taste raw cilantro as soap do not taste cooked cilantro at all. The compounds that taste like soap denature and are no longer a problem and we still cannot taste the other ones. I get you think this isn't genetic or something but this is very clearly established. I will always taste cilantro as soap. No amount of "developing a taste for it" will change that. When you spread those raw leaves over food about 1 in 6 people will just taste soap.

[@isabelab6851]

I have suggested to people who don’t like cilantro…for Puerto Ricans is the traditional one.

[@themostselfishman]

This was wonderful. We need more videos of the interior of PR that deserves even more love.

[@Fih24-vj4zb]

Nah we don’t need Americans coming here

[@PlantNatives]

I could watch hours of this series. It feels genuine and true. Thanks!

[@wayne_jkl]

Oh, just great. Now I want to go back to Puerto Rico. Thanks a lot, Bryan! :)

[@chrisandersen5635]

Fantastic Bryan. Thank you.

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

Mountain food is the best

[@macsam8778]

Love it!👍🫶🏾

[@msnegron-lu6tw]

I love Puerto Rico❤too

[@matthewyoung6740]

guanimes con bacalaooooo

[@Justgabs-wn3vv]

Omg home I miss it

[@laurastuart7850]

Thank you for exploring my beautiful island of Puerto Rico. I've been living in USA for many years and I miss so much my food, people, the scenery and traditions. The food from the mountains, are not usually on any platforms. This was very cool to see.... I used to go to Angelitos as a child❣️

[@evelynvazquez1101]

Love this episode

[@kaeros5521]

Love it ! 💖

[@daisyortiz9970]

1 thing about about PR if you're in the countryside/mountains and there's a food shortage, you will not starve! there's so many nutritious vegetable/fruits/nuts just like weeds here in the US lol.

[@ruthiezimmerman]

Awesome video. I miss Puerto Rico ❤

[@margaretalmodovar8401]

Great video! The food looked scrumptious, particularly the cod fish stew😊.

[@danhayes3964]

Enjoyed your reporting as much or even more than the chefs, food and country side. Keep it up.😎

[@jsmithua]

Ooooh! Gerardo! Swoon... But also - this food looks so delicious! Great video!

[@rachellemazar7374]

That food looks brilliant

[@wandaviruet3621]

I love this 🙏🏻❤️🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

[@othandmark]

Loved this. I was hoping to make it to la ruta de lechon in my last trip there, but it didn't work out because...weather. Next time! The food looks delicious!

[@cllibutti8711]

Need to visit ...

[@kayrac.339]

🥰Demasiado de rica la comida boricua🥰

[@JorgeClar]

Nice to see

[@RedCandelaria]

Mi familia tambien tenemos la tradicion del guanime con bacalao pero le decimos arepas (boricuas) en las costas de Añasco/Rincon con bacalao guisao. Tambien hacemos el bacalao con panas (breadfruit) o guineos verdes. Pero prefiero el guanime

[@september4021]

Yum ,yum.

[@LukiaSierra]

Will you please give us the names of these 2 restaurants you visited and where in PR they are located?

[@isabelab6851]

Mi islita querida

[@eclecticexplorer7828]

I just looked at the menu for Casa Viejas, and they do have another fish dish, although it is a pastelillo (turnover) and not a main dish. It is the same cod but used as a turnover filling. This does highlight the difficulty of travelling some places poses for those of us who are vegetarian or vegan. The highlighted restaurants don't seem to offer much for me.

[@bull419]

Los Jibaros son de las montañas.!!

[@RobertSaxy]

Jibaros where you at

[@ed209ish]

Aqui

[@Trina_White]

How come only Brian always gets to travel?

[@fredysteez]

Fam 💪🏼✨😮‍💨❤️‍🔥 best spot in PR

[@stephenthorpe6238]

Pork, pork, pork, pork, pork! Ahhhh!! 😱

[@EstherPuchi]

Those are EMPANADILLAS

[@lisamzayas]

Hello:) Some parts of the island call them “Pastelillos”, other parts call it “Empanadas”. Either or, we just enjoy them!

[@itsleokid2075]

⁠@@lisamzayasso my Puerto Rican friend would tell you pasteleos are pastry’s. Things like quesitos, de guayaba, tornillos, y más como esto, because they’re sweet. I get what you’re saying but to them it’s like no empanadas are savory and pasteleos are sweet.

[@collins48lc]

Nope

[@EstherPuchi]

I'm from PR. My father owned many restaurants in PR. EMPANADILLAS ARE NOT EMPANADAS NOR PASTELILLOS.

[@Graycy808]

​@@EstherPuchiwhat are the things that are like tamales but made with plantains instead of masa? I've forgotten what they were called but I havent forgotten how delicious they were every Christmas when my boyfriend's mom would make them!!

[@teresad.sedgwick4553]

love

[@donaldoyler2092]

No matter where on the island the food is so good. So be prepared to get fat if you come.

[@gerrygizzygarcia2572]

How far is this from San Juan

[@JimmyKuilan]

🎉❤wow

[@shalalala4875]

Goddamn it I'm so hungry right now lol

[@johnsmartin1473]

!Mucho felicidades! yo conoci Puerto Rico poco antes la pandemia y tuve que salir pronto porque si no tuve mucho dinero. La vida en Puerto Rico es muy duro. Hay que tener mucho dinero. la isla es muy linda pero le falta infastructura y despues hurican Maria! !! chucha !!

[@amgooder]

Si no tienes dinero....en ningún lugar podrás vivir😂

[@johnsmartin1473]

@@amgooder dije MUCHO DINERO disculpa no soy millionaire

[@thechicks1000]

🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

[@craigdowski8043]

Ayyyy! Gerardo!! Estoy enamorado! Bryan, Espero que tengas su número de teléfono en Puerto Rico. 🙂Gracias por el video!

[@bull419]

You can get all this food in New York from Puerto Ricans and don’t let anyone tell you any different.!!

[@LolaDelMarCaribe]

It’s WILL NEVER be the same coming from someone who was born in NY and has lots of family there and I lived half my life in PR and half in the US, the traditional food in PR is much better. In fact any side of the road food truck has better traditional food than anything in NY. Also with the amount of Dominicans that have moved to NY you see many of them cooking our food and making it their way which isn’t bad but isn’t OUR tradition way of cooking.

[@amgooder]

Not the same sazón😂

[@SamanthaOrtiz-g1c]

Chicken over pork

[@kenmore01]

Poor Brian. He must be tired from all that paid travel and food.

[@Nadia..J]

I don't get the analysing of the taste of every little thing. To me, something delicious is delicious.. something not so nice is not so nice. And that's about it.

[@ricknico2577]

Hopefully better then Dominican food 🤭

[@LolaDelMarCaribe]

Dominica food is good though, I love PR food but then again I’m biased. If you don’t like the flavor profile Latin Caribbean food just may not be for you. Many of the foods from Cuba, PR and DR are very similar.

[@ricknico2577]

@@LolaDelMarCaribe yeah might be. I lived there for 3 years and I felt like I tried most dishes in just one week. Kind of unspicy and little variation for me..

[@amgooder]

Hopefully? Nah way better🤫

[@RawHeat100]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@itsleokid2075]

Why the laugh lol??

[@elisek-dj9hk]

Met this guy in person and he was very drunk and rude. Won’t be watching again.

[@Graycy808]

Hahaha good to know, if I ever see him while I travel I'll head the other way!!

[@nancydavieau]

The scenery is beautiful & tropical weather (like heaven) but, I would not be interested in anything shown

[@angiegirl1510]

Your loss ..the food is absolutely delicious 😋

[@angiegirl1510]

Don't knock it till you tried it..

[@itsleokid2075]

@@angiegirl1510it’s ok honey… To each their own and everyone isn’t all excited about puerto rican food like most Puerto Ricans. Same as most Mexicans they like their countries food the best!

[@Graycy808]

Dont knock it till you've tried it!! Wait... nevermind just means more for the rest of us cause I'd eat all of it and I've never cared for salted fish, but I'm willing to try it when it's made with so many other delicious flavors. But if you aren't adventurous enough to try any of these dishes you probably aren't inclined to travel to places like Puerto Rico so no problem there I guess right?

[@bngr_bngr]

Their food looks like the food of the poor.

[@lisamzayas]

May look poor to you, but it is rich in flavors. So yummy yummy delicious!

[@HarmlessIndividual]

You seem miserable.

[@marpinero]

I can tell your taste buds are very poor.

[@itsleokid2075]

😂😂😂 Puerto Ricans like to defend their culture even when they’re wrong lol.

[@Graycy808]

Well that sounded rude! What a lovely thing to say about a cultural cuisine that is comfort food to so many!! And what, may I ask, does food not of the "poor" look like? And if you say anything with lobster I'm gonna laugh cause it was once eaten almost exclusively by the "poor" so I'd definitely love to hear your description of what rich people food looks like? And what makes you think that it would taste that much better because you approve of the appearance? Do not judge a book by its cover or you may miss out on some really good food because of a snooty attitude!! Man some people's kids! I swear!