Trying To Keep Old Traditions Alive

It was a tradition in my family to make many wonderful and special foods and desserts for Christmas. I always fondly think back on Christmases past and miss all the festivities that I no longer participate in. I do remember opening presents on Christmas Eve, but more than that I remember it being a time of family and friends, of food and music and a time of celebration and church.

Puerto Ricans celebrate Noche Buena, which is on Christmas Eve. A huge component of it was all of the special Christmas dishes. You could expect to find pernil (roast pork shoulder), arroz con gandules, (yellow rice with pigeon peas), pastelles (some people call these tamales), arroz con dulce (coconut rice pudding) and coquito (our version of eggnog). In addition to all the food, there was music, dancing, and lots of friends and family. I also remember the parrandas (our version of caroling) with lots of singing and instrument playing. There was always the guitar, the tambourine, some sort of drum, the guiro and the maracas. In fact, some people were even offended if their home was not visited. There was a break in the party for la Misa de Gallo, or Midnight Mass, but after that the party went on until the early morning hours.

Now as an adult, I am sad that my kids won’t experience all of the culture and traditions that I got to experience and I try to keep some of it alive by doing some of the cooking that I remember. Many of the dishes have a higher level of difficulty and are labor intensive. I can remember helping my mom with tons of preparations and I wish I had paid better attention. This year, I decided to try my hand at one of the dishes I miss the most and that’s Arroz con Dulce.

It wasn’t easy. First I scoured the internet looking for recipes that somewhat resembled my mom’s version. This was not easy since my mom’s recipes are in her head. They aren’t written down and no measurements are exact. Finally I found one and I consulted my mother. Of course, it was all wrong and she began to tell me all about what I would need, how I would put it together and the techniques I would use. And of course, none of the steps were in order. Mostly, I felt overwhelmed. I took a trip to the Spanish grocery store to find the specialty items and then I attempted it.

I will spare you the details, but it took me almost 4 hours and I ended up with something that was pretty darn close to my mom’s rice pudding, expect that it was a little undercooked. Now for a little nostalgia: my mom was a self taught cook and I she worked on this recipe for years before having success. I remember one year, her batch was undercooked. She was so disappointed and distraught over it. After all, she had spent so many hours, worked with so many ingredients and this was truly a labor of love. She would make huge batches of it. It was a dish that she would bring to other’s homes as gifts. I didn’t want her to feel bad, so I told her over and over again that it was ok because I liked it a little crunchy. Looking back now, I don’t think she bought it, but I hope it made her smile. Now, I had to smile because I would be making myself feel better by reminding myself that I liked it a little crunchy.