Pasteles: An Original Taíno Comfort Food

With the holiday season upon us, families across the Caribbean and the Diaspora will soon be serving up all manner of traditional meals. However, on the island of Borikén (Puerto Rico) there are many who would say that no traditional holiday feast would be complete without a particular culinary delight of indigenous Taíno origin commonly known as pasteles or “pasteles de hoja.” It should be understood from the outset that no matter what alterations they have undergone over the years, pasteles de hoja are indeed of indigenous origin. In fact, the elder relative of Caribbean pasteles is the “Mexican” corn tamale or tamalli in the indigenous Nahuatl language. The tamalli can be traced back as early as 5000 BC. <a href="https://medium.com/@robertomukaroborrero/pasteles-an-original-ta%C3%ADno-comfort-food-17f2ace5c21">Read More</a>