Alcapurria
Encyclopedia
Alcapurria is a fritter dish from Puerto Rico
, a culinary dish that found its way to the Dominican Republic
and Cuba
.
The dough that surrounds the meat is called the 'masa' and is made primarily of yautia and may contain grated calabaza
s (tropical pumpkins), potato, plantains, and other starchy tropical tubers. Cooks usually add achiote
and shortening
to the masa to give its own flavor and color.
The meat is often spicy ground beef, such as picadillo, but can also be crab or chicken. The (masa) is refrigerated for several hours to achieve a solid consistency. The masa
is then filled with picadillo
, ground beef
, etc... and deep fried in oil
. Yuca
"alcapurrias" are often stuffed with crab
meat. "Alcapurrias" are also one of the many dishes served on the kiosk
stands or cuchifritos
.
.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, a culinary dish that found its way to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Preparation
An alcapurria is made from a doughy mixture of mashed up tubers and root vegetables that grow on the island surrounding a center of heavily seasoned meat. Cooks spoon the meat into the center, roll the alcapurria into a distinctive peg shape and deep fry it for several minutes.The dough that surrounds the meat is called the 'masa' and is made primarily of yautia and may contain grated calabaza
Calabaza
Calabaza is a term that can be applied to a variety of gourds and melons grown throughout the world.-Etymology :The word calabaza is derived from the Persian term for melon . The French term "calabasse", and hence "calabash" is based on the older Spanish...
s (tropical pumpkins), potato, plantains, and other starchy tropical tubers. Cooks usually add achiote
Achiote
Achiote is a shrub or small tree from the tropical region of the Americas. The name derives from the Nahuatl word for the shrub, achiotl. It is also known as Aploppas, and its original Tupi name urucu. It is cultivated there and in Southeast Asia, where it was introduced by the Spanish in the...
and shortening
Shortening
Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry. The reason it is called shortening is because it prevents cross-linkage between gluten molecules. Cross linking is what causes doughs to be sticky. Seeing as cake is not meant to be sticky, shortening is used...
to the masa to give its own flavor and color.
The meat is often spicy ground beef, such as picadillo, but can also be crab or chicken. The (masa) is refrigerated for several hours to achieve a solid consistency. The masa
Masa
Masa is Spanish for dough. In the Americas it is often short for masa de maíz, a maize dough made from freshly prepared hominy. It is used for making corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, arepas and many other Latin American dishes. The dried and powdered form is called masa harina, masa de harina,...
is then filled with picadillo
Picadillo
Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries and the Philippines that is similar to hash...
, ground beef
Ground beef
Beef mince, ground beef, hamburger meat , hamburg or minced meat is a minced meat food, made of beef finely chopped by a mincer. It is used in many recipes including hamburgers and cottage pie...
, etc... and deep fried in oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
. Yuca
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
"alcapurrias" are often stuffed with crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
meat. "Alcapurrias" are also one of the many dishes served on the kiosk
Kiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
stands or cuchifritos
Cuchifritos
Cuchifritos refers to various fried foods prepared principally of pork, in Puerto Rican cuisine. They include a variety of dishes including but not limited to morcilla , papas rellenas , chicharron , and various other parts of the pig prepared in different ways...
.
Other
In the Dominican Republic yucca alcapurrias are called chulitos and are stuffed with ground meat and served with chili sauceChili sauce
Chili sauce is a condiment, similar to ketchup but with onion, garlic, and spice. Despite its name, it does not contain chili peppers and thus is not hot....
.