Some of their foods can elevate a poker night, whether you’re in San Juan, Caguas, or nowhere near Puerto Rico. From filling favorites to crowd-pleasing desserts, you should consider these before making the menu for your next poker night.
Tostones: great for snacking
You might not want to break your concentration from the poker table amid high-stakes hands. That’s why you need a table grazing plate, at which point you serve the Tostones. This straightforward recipe uses just non-ripened plantains—frying, seasoning, and putting them in a bowl to devour. It’s the ultimate Puerto Rican side dish for any event, and now it’s your poker night.
A glass of Coco Rico?
Some major brands might dominate the soft drinks market in every country, but there is a cult appeal for local flavors. Puerto Rico’s answer to this is Coco Rico, a coconut-flavoured soda. This soft drink option has been available in the country since 1935 and has even become relatively popular in the United States, Canada, and even Vietnam! Offering your guests a glass of this drink will add Puerto Rican authenticity to your poker night.
Garlic Bananas?
Some international dishes have the propensity to travel well beyond their origin. Mofongo, however, is a hard sell to most people outside of Puerto Rico. It’s plantains cooked with garlic and pork, which are not typical in many places. Other variations have been known to include chicken, shrimp, and sometimes octopus.
However, could this work well for a poker night? After all, if your guests refuse to eat, they might not be able to think straight from their hunger, subsequently making mistakes during the poker game. This is a very underhanded method to potentially defeat your opponents at poker.
Alcapurria all round?
Bite-sized snacks are often required for long poker nights, as guests want the sustenance to keep playing. Alcapurria is a sweet and savory fritter-style snack made with grated green bananas or taro root; it is filled with a combination of beef and tomatoes (called picadillo in Puerto Rico). However, it can be stuffed with crab meat as a variation.
Alcapurria is a street food option found around Puerto Rico. Its lightweight and smaller size makes it ideal for on-the-go snacking and mid-poker treats.
Arroz con gandules: carbs for cards
Puerto Rican cuisine isn’t complete without the national dish, arroz con gandules. This carbohydrate-heavy rice dish incorporates pork and peas. It is usually cooked in one dish with aromatic herbs and spices.
While this dish is commonly associated with Christmas time in Puerto Rico, it’s an ideal early dinner meal for your poker party, as it will fuel everyone for longer poker sessions.
Tembleque for the table?
One of the most popular desserts in Puerto Rican cuisine is the Tembleque. This pudding is made from coconut milk and many creams set in a mold. It can be topped with various fruits, syrups, or chocolate shavings. It is commonly served amongst family members on New Year’s Day.
When prepared, the dessert has a jelly-like texture and should move like jelly. The name in Spanish is used to describe an item that shakes, much like this dessert should! This amusing dessert would be an ideal post-poker treat for your guests.
Set the stakes for Sorullos.
Puerto Rico’s most popular appetizer is a cornmeal-based sausage-shaped dish called Sorullos. These corn sticks are combined with cheese (usually gouda) and then fried to make pre-meal snacks. It is common to pair these with dips, including mayonnaise and ketchup. These are ideal for any poker night as they lend themselves to hosting, as they are easily made snacks, and are not challenging to serve up.
Drinking? Medalla Light is an award-winning beer.
If you want to enjoy an alcoholic beverage during your Puerto Rican poker night, you can’t go wrong with a few bottles of Medalla Light. A beer committee in Belgium has critically praised this commercially produced light lager. As such, it is the best-selling beer in Puerto Rico. It might not be advice that you’ll see given by gambling news sites, but perhaps having some alcohol might loosen up your decision making skills to be more aggressive.
LOIZA DARK is a premium chocolate from Puerto Rico
Chocolate can be a popular option for post-dinner treats, especially for Caribbean families. LOIZA DARK prides itself on being a premium brand within the Puerto Rican brand for being a single-origin chocolate bar. There are a few different flavors, meaning you can cater to all your poker night guests with this brand.
