Mofongo

Origins

Mofongo's roots lead to the western African fufu, mixed with Spanish and Taíno influences. Fufu is made from various starchy vegetables and was introduced to the Caribbean by Africans in the Spanish New World colonies such as Cuba (fufu de plátano), Dominican Republic (mangú), and Puerto Rico (mofongo) this also most likely includes Colombia (cayeye), Amazon region and Peru (tacacho). Fufu consists of starchy root vegetables and plantains boiled then mashed until a dough-like consistency with water, butter, or milk.

Clara Gonzalez also known as Aunt Clara is a Dominican chef and author. In her cookbook (Tradition Dominican cookery) claims that mofongo has a special place in Dominicans hearts and stomachs but can be traced back to Puerto Rico. Ramona Hernandez, director of the Dominican Studies Institute of the City University of New York has been interviewed for many magazine on Dominican food and culture, she also says "mofongo is a dish borrowed from Puerto Rico that has much success with Dominicans". Mofongo first appeared in a cookbook called El Cocinero Puertorriqueño, Puerto Rico's first cookbook in 1849. Mofongo in Puerto Rico is everywhere not only on tables but built into the culture and identity. Its in their art, pop culture, music, television, books and has a strong history on the island.

Culture

Mofongo evolved from fufu using African method with Spanish and Taíno ingredients. 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. The usage of Spanish ingredients such as pork, garlic, broth, and olive oil together is heavily used in Puerto Rican cuisine. Staple dishes such as arroz con gandules, alcapurria, pasteles, habichuelas, recaíto, arroz junto and many other dishes all include garlic, pork, olive oil, and broth. 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.

Method

Plantains and/or starchy roots are cut about half an inch thick and deep fried. When done, the plantains/roots are crisp outside, but dense inside. The plantains/roots are then mashed in a wooden mortar and pestle called a pilón made with mahogany or guaiacum, both native hardwoods. Broth, olive oil, garlic, and pork cracklings are added and mashed as well. The consistency of mofongo is much more stiff than fufu. In Africa, fufu is accompanied by a bowl of soup. In Puerto Rico, traditionally mofongo is accompanied by chicken broth soup, but braised meat has become more popular.

Variations

It is also common in Puerto Rico to make mofongo with cassava (mofongo de yuca), taro and eddoe (mofongo de malanga y yautía), bread fruit (mofongo de pana), or a combination of cassava, ripe and green plantains (trifongo), ripe and unripe plantains (mofongo de amarillo).

Thanksgiving is an American holiday that has been adopted by Puerto Rico. Turkey is the main focus on every thanksgiving table and is traditional stuffed with bread. The traditional bread stuffing is replaced with mofongo de batata (plantain and sweet potato mofongo) in Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans homes outside the commonwealth.

Frito-Lay produces MoFongo Snax, a combined plantain chips, cassava chips and pork rinds into one bag.

Mofongo outside of Puerto Rico

In Cuba, Mofongo is called Machuquillo "por la acción de machucar el plátano en el mortero" (because of the task of mashing the plantains in the mortar). The plantains are not fried but boiled. Machuquillo is often garnished with parsley and served with roasted pork or chicken.

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 restaurant adding their own flavors such as queso frito (fried cheese) to mofongo, mashed with no broth and sometimes olive oil is replace with butter. The plantains in making traditional mofongo are not always fried, they are sometimes boiled, shaped into a ball and stuffed with meat. During the 1960s mofongo started to appear in Dominican cookbooks. Mofongo stuffed with shrimp (camaron in Spanish) is called camarofongo.

Mofongo is popular in New Jersey, Chicago, Florida, and anywhere large numbers of Puerto Ricans or Dominicans reside.

In popular culture

Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri featured mofongo from Benny's Seafood (in Miami, Florida) and from El Bohio (in San 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.

Anne Burrell is featured in a Season 2 episode of Chef Wanted with mofongo as the opening dish challenge.

Mofongo is also featured in Episode 7, Season 6 of the Food Network show, Beat Bobby Flay, where Bobby Flay's mofongo dish prevails over a mofongo dish prepared by Puerto Rican chef Giovanna Huyke.

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 Puertorriqueño by Joe Valle and César Concepción.

Singer Ismael Rivera with conductor Rafael Cortijo sung a plena song called Mofongo Pelao about mofongo.

Kenan Thompson often mentions mofongo in character as David Ortiz on Saturday Night Live.

In Sanford and Son TV series, Fred and Lamont's Puerto Rican neighbor Julio makes and refers to mofongo.