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| other = Popular throughout:<br />[[Puerto Rico]]<br />[[Dominican Republic]]<br/>[[New Jersey]]<br />[[Florida]]<br />[[New York City]]<br/>[[Boston]]<br/>[[Colombia]]}} |
| other = Popular throughout:<br />[[Puerto Rico]]<br />[[Dominican Republic]]<br/>[[New Jersey]]<br />[[Florida]]<br />[[New York City]]<br/>[[Boston]]<br/>[[Colombia]]}} |
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'''Mofongo''' ({{IPA-es|moˈfoŋɡo}}) is a [[ |
'''Mofongo''' ({{IPA-es|moˈfoŋɡo}}) is a [[Puerto Rican]] dish with [[Plantain (cooking)|plantains]] as its main [[ingredient]].<ref name="Torres 2006 p. ">{{cite book | last=Torres | first=A. | title=Latinos in New England | publisher=Temple University Press | year=2006 | isbn=978-1-59213-418-2 | url=https://archive.org/details/latinosinnewengl00andr | url-access=registration | language=es | access-date=12 November 2019 | page=[https://archive.org/details/latinosinnewengl00andr/page/106 106]}}</ref> Plantains are picked green, cut into pieces and typically fried but can be boiled or roasted, then mashed with salt, garlic, broth, and olive oil in a wooden pilón ([[mortar and pestle]]).<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2005-01-19/lifestyle/0501190076_1_plantains-puerto-rico-mixture| title = Gusto! ; Plantains Carry Deep Roots of Tradition in Mofongo| last = Carballo| first = Viviana| date = January 19, 2005| work = Special to the Sentinel| access-date = December 16, 2015| publisher = Orlando Sentinel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | title = Plantain Hybrids: Fresh Market and Processing Characteristics| last = Cordero Malavé|first = Deborah|publisher = University of Puerto Rico , Mayaguez Campus|year = 2010|location = Mayaguez, PR|pages = 9, 41|url = https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_q6VhhkczIYS2x2U2lUV0tMWUU}}</ref> The goal is to produce a tight ball of mashed plantains that will absorb the attending condiments and have either [[Pork rind|pork cracklings]] (''[[chicharrón]]'') or bits of [[bacon]] inside. It is traditionally served with fried [[meat]] and [[chicken broth]] [[soup]].<ref name="duke">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yTYWZnlz0akC&dq=Mofongo+origin&pg=PA97| title=The Repeating: The Caribbean and the Postmodern Perspective | publisher=Duke University Press |author=Antonio Benítez Rojo |others=James E. Maraniss (translation) |year=1996|isbn=0-8223-1865-2 |page=97}}</ref> Particular flavors result from variations that include [[vegetable]]s, [[chicken]], [[shrimp]], [[beef]], or [[octopus]] packed inside or around the plantain orb. |
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==Origin and history== |
==Origin and history== |
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| Alternative names | Mofongo pelao, mofongo criollo, mofonguito |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Puerto Rico |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Plantains, chicharrón, olive oil, and garlic |
| Variations | Fufu, Tacacho, Cayeye, Mangú |
| Other information | Popular throughout: Puerto Rico Dominican Republic New Jersey Florida New York City Boston Colombia |
 Media: Mofongo | |
Mofongo (Spanish pronunciation: [moˈfoŋɡo]) is a Puerto Rican dish with plantains as its main ingredient.[1] Plantains are picked green, cut into pieces and typically fried but can be boiled or roasted, then mashed with salt, garlic, broth, and olive oil in a wooden pilón (mortar and pestle).[2][3] The goal is to produce a tight ball of mashed plantains that will absorb the attending condiments and have either pork cracklings (chicharrón) or bits of bacon inside. It is traditionally served with fried meat and chicken broth soup.[4] Particular flavors result from variations that include vegetables, chicken, shrimp, beef, or octopus packed inside or around the plantain orb.
Mofongo's roots lead to the African fufu, mixed with some Spanish and Taíno influences. Fufu is made from various starchy vegetables and was introduced to the CaribbeanbyAfricans in the Spanish New World colonies such as Cuba (fufu de plátano and machuquillo), Dominican Republic (mangú), and Puerto Rico (mofongo and funche criollo);this also most likely includes Colombia (cayeye), Ecuador (bolón), Costa Rica (angú), Amazon region and Peru (tacacho).
The earliest known written recipes for mofongo appeared in Puerto Rico's first cookbook, El Cocinero Puerto-Riqueño o Formulario, in 1859.[5] The title of the recipe is mofongo criollo. Green plantains are cleaned with lemon, boiled with veal and hen, then mashed with garlic, Oregano brujo, ají dulce, bacon or lard, and ham. It is then formed into a ball and eaten with the broth which it was cooked in.
InEl Cocinero Puerto-Riqueño o Formulario there are similar recipes. Funche criollo made from green or yellow plantains boiled with tarooryams, mashed and eaten with sesame broth soup or a sauce made from garlic, lard, tomato sauce, onions, and ají dulce (sofrito). Another is plátanos verdes asados, green plantains cooked on coal and eaten with butter or lard and garlic.
The second recipe was written in 1948 by Elizabeth B.K. Dooley in Puerto Rican cookbook. The recipe calls for yellow plantains fried in lard, mashed with garlic, olive oil, chicarrón and formed into a ball. This recipe changed again with green plantains and half-ripe plantains fried and mashed with garlic, bacon, broth, and chicarrón in the 1950s in Puerto Rican cookbooks.
Central African ethnic groups that populated Puerto Rico used the technique of a mallet to mash large amounts of starchy foods. The mash was then softened with liquids and fats. The word “mofongo” stems from the Kikongo term mfwenge-mfwenge, which means “a great amount of anything at all".[citation needed]
Mofongo evolved from fufu using the African method with vegetation available in the Caribbean. Plantains are most often used, but other starchy roots native to the island used by Taínos can also be used. Puerto Ricans have an obsession with fried food known collectively as cuchifrito in New York City and Kiosks in Puerto Rico. Spanish ingredients such as pork, garlic, broth, and olive oil are commonly used together in Puerto Rican cuisine and are found in staple dishes such as arroz con gandules, alcapurria, pasteles, habichuelas, recaíto, arroz junto, among others. The method of frying comes from the African side and is heavily used more than anyplace in the Caribbean. Broth is often made with chicken and sofrito. Sofrito is made with Spanish and Taíno fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Food trucks around Puerto Rico, Florida, New York, and other parts of the USA serve mofongo as a fast food available in food trucks. A popular version in Puerto Rico is papas locas, crazy fries. Mofongo is placed flat in a takeaway container layered with French fries or yam fries, shredded meat or meats, chopped onions, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuces, corn, melted cheese, and mayoketchup (fry sauce).
The name mofongo refers to cooked plantains mashed with fat (olive oil, lard, or butter), spices, and pork in a wooden mortar and pestle called a pilón (made with mahoganyorguaiacum, both native hardwoods) and shaped more or less into a ball and served with broth. The mofongo is then able to absorb any juice or broth from the seared meat that is placed on top or inside of the dish. The consistency of mofongo is much more dense and stiff than fufu.
It is also common in Puerto Rico to make mofongo with cassava (mofongo de yuca), breadfruit (mofongo de pana), and ripe plantain mofongo (mofongo de amarillo).
The bifongo is any combination of two starches fried and mashed together. Ripe and green plantains together is the most popular choice.
The trifongo is any combination of three starches fried and mashed together. Most popular is cassava with green and ripe plantains, but batata and breadfruit may be used.
Mofongo stuffed with shrimp (camarón in Spanish) is called camarofongo.
Thanksgiving is an American holiday that has been adopted by Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans outside the commonwealth. Turkey is the main focus on every Thanksgiving table and is traditionally stuffed with bread. The bread stuffing can be mixed with mofongo or replaced entirely with mofongo. The dish is called pavochon.
Frito-Lay produces MoFongo Snax, combining plantain chips, cassava chips and pork rinds into one bag.
Mofongo relleno is a stuffed variation of mofongo, which, according to Yvonne Ortiz, was first made in "Tino's Restaurant on the west coast of Puerto Rico" when seafood, abundant in the region, was placed inside the plantain ball with braised meat or more seafood poured over it.[6] Today, mofongo relleno is commonly stuffed with either seafood, poultry, or another meat.[7]
Moca, Dominican Republic is known for making a mofongo with cheddar cheese shredded on top. It has been called mofongo Dominicano and mofongo el Mocano.
During the 1960s many Dominicans who feared the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo fled to Puerto Rico and New York City. Mofongo caught on quickly with Dominicans living in Puerto Rico and New York City. Mofongo has become a flagship food for many Dominican restaurants. The first Dominican cookbook to have a written recipe of mofongo is Cocina Criolla, second edition by Amanda Ornes, in 1962. The recipe is called "mafongo" using roasted green plantains mashed with chicarrón and oil. Its did not include its signature garlic, olive oil, and broth. The name mafongo would be only appear once as a title. Whether it was the actual title or misprint is unknown. Ramona Hernández, director of the Dominican Studies Institute of the City University of New York has said, "mofongo is a dish borrowed from Puerto Rico that has much success with Dominicans". Dominican chef Clara Gonzalez, also known as Aunt Clara, says in her cookbook, tradition Dominican cookery, "mofongo has a special place in the Dominicans' hearts and stomachs but can be traced back to Puerto Rico".
Mofongo has become popular among Colombians, Cubans and Dominicans living in the United States and anywhere large numbers of Puerto Ricans or Dominicans reside.[citation needed]
Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri featured mofongo from Benny's Seafood (inMiami, Florida) and from El Bohio (inSan Antonio, Texas) on two separate episodes of his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. He liked the dish so much that he called it the "best fried thing I ever ate" on an episode of the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate.[8]
An episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food Nation, set in Harlem, showed the host Adam Richman visiting a Spanish Harlem restaurant called La Fonda Boricua, where they make a giant 12-plantain mofongo called the Mofongaso.
Perhaps the oldest song mentioning mofongo is called PuertorriqueñobyJoe Valle and César Concepción.
OnSaturday Night Live, David Ortiz (a recurring impression played by Kenan Thompson) frequently refers to the dish when describing his "big lunch".
Mofongo was mentioned numerous times on the 1970s U.S. NBC situation comedy Sanford & Son when characters Fred and Lamont (Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson) interact with their Puerto Rican neighbor Julio (Gregory Sierra).
