Pasteles

Pasteles look like tamales and are not: instead of corn, the masa is made from grated green banana, yautía, plantain and sometimes pumpkin, coloured and flavoured with achiote oil, spread on a banana leaf, filled with stewed pork, wrapped, tied and boiled. Making them is laborious enough that it is done as a group task, families setting up an assembly line in November and December and freezing dozens at a time, which is why they belong to the Christmas season rather than the ordinary week. They are eaten with rice with pigeon peas and roast pork as part of the standard holiday plate, and they are the food Puerto Ricans abroad miss most.

What you actually see

• The masa - grated green banana and root vegetables, not corn.
• The banana leaf wrap - tied in pairs and boiled.
• The Christmas assembly line - families making dozens at a time.
• The holiday plate - with arroz con gandules and roast pork.

When to go

November to January is the season, when roadside sellers and shops have them and every family is making them. Outside that window they are hard to find fresh, though frozen ones are sold year-round and are a poor substitute.

Honest expectations

They are genuinely seasonal, so a summer visitor will mostly find frozen or restaurant versions that miss the point. The banana leaf is a wrapper and is not eaten, which catches out some visitors. They are heavy and usually served alongside more pork. Vegetarian versions exist but are not traditional.

Nearby

Every town has its own; the mountain towns and Loíza are known for good ones.