Main: Arroz con Gandules y Pernilito

Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and pernil asado (roasted pork) is a  favorite during holidays and festivities: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, birthdays, graduations.

That said, Puerto Ricans find any occasion to make and eat this traditional dish. A close family friend sent along this recipe and prefaced her description by saying arroz con gandules "es la comida tradicional en las navidades aunque se come todo el tiempo." In other words, rice with pigeon peas and roasted pork is traditional holiday food even though it can be (and is) eaten all the time.

Note: adding -ito (diminutive suffix) at the end of a Spanish word like pernil is meant to give the term a friendly, familiar tone.