A semi-origin story of Pollo Guisado...

Does it matter where it comes from when there are countless variations and influences?

Having made pollo guisado last week, I became curious about its origins. I enlisted the help of a Puerto Rican historian and anthropologist I know and one of my favorite academics, a professor who studies culinary imaginaries in the Caribbean. They both didn’t have much for me to work with. I tried looking through the Glossary of Ortiz Cuadra’s “Eating Puerto Rico” and didn’t find much either. I figured this would be the case considering the origins of anything are quite difficult to narrow down to an exact and sole source, especially with considerable influences of migration, globalization, and colonialism.

Pollo guisado, also guisa’o is common throughout the Caribbean, especially in the Greater Antilles in countries such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, as well as Jamaica with Brown Stew Chicken and in the Lesser Antilles like Trinidad with stew chicken. There are even variations in Venezuela, El Salvador, and other parts of South and Central America. In listing all of these countries, how could there only be one source? For now, my focus will be on its origins in Puerto Rican cooking.

Taking methods into consideration, you would have to start with where stewing meat and potatoes started. Then, the addition of spices, which spices became the staple ones, and when. Lots of questions to consider when creating an origin story. I am not a food historian by any means, and I think of myself as someone who studies storytelling and embodiment in cooking more than anything. Things tend to get tricky when you start to dig into the history of anything food-related because I am not a traditionalist by any means. Food is ever-evolving and always will, living under capitalism and constant globalization and imperialism. However, I do not negate the importance of a source and how it evolved.

One source I found mentioned the 19th-century cookbook “El cocinero Puerto-riqueno o formulario” from 1859. Author unknown. Considered to be the first published Puerto Rican cookbook. When you think of Caribbean culinary history, most of it has been taught simply by watching or word of mouth, and to have a formal text with written recipes is monumental in any culture, as it tangibly immortalizes history. Pretty wild to think about when Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico ended in 1898, although it lingers to this day in our culinary practices. In the cookbook, there are three “recipes” for pollo guisado, which in modern days wouldn’t be defined as a formal recipe, considering it lists most ingredients, methods, and minimal measurements.

The section for “pollos guisados,” lists three recipes. The first used manteca (lard), as well as de-feathered and cleaned whole chicken, to then fry with ham, followed by the addition of tomatoes, green peppers, parsley, garlic, and onions. As far as spices go, the author uses clove, cinnamon, ground black pepper, and a little bit of vinegar. After the guiso has cooked a bit, raisins, crushed toasted almonds, capers, and slices of fried plantain are added. Lastly, a little bit of broth or water, taking into consideration that it ends up a little thick.

The last two recipes are pollos guisados “…al gusto al pais” and “a lo campesino.” The first essentially means, catered to the taste of the country, and the last one is “peasant” style. One can consider the class separation here. “Al pais” uses two ounces of lard, three quartered onions, five cloves of garlic mashed, a little bit of oregano, vinegar, and “fine spices” that aren’t stated explicitly, and what even are fine spices? Another noticeable class division. Dry wine, and salt. After allowing the stew to cook halfway, add pickled peppers. Cooking on low heat until it is soft. The final recipe, which is the “peasant” style stew, uses oil instead of lard to fry the chicken with salt, ten cloves of mashed garlic instead of five, four peppercorns, saffron, lime juice, water, and breadcrumbs.

I looked up Spanish chicken stews that contained raisins and “Pollo estofado” which has been made with and without them, was a result and easily resembled pollo guisado. Considering our food is called “comida criolla,” there is no doubting the Spanish influence in pollo guisado. The first recipe mentioned the addition of tomatoes, parsley, onions, garlic, and peppers which were then sautéed, is easily identified as sofrito; created in Spain during the 14th century. The addition of saffron reminded me of Sazón, simply used for color and contribution of umami as it contains MSG, was created in 1973 by Jose Ortega, a Cuban who fled to Puerto Rico after the Cuban Revolution in 1963, started a restaurant and later partnered with the Unanue family who owned Goya foods and began operations in Florida. Unanue started Goya Foods in New York City in 1936 after living in Puerto Rico and migrating from Spain. He started out selling olives and olive oil to Spanish immigrants and later distributed to bodegas throughout New York City and stores in New Jersey.

Some might think Saffron is a Spanish spice, as it is very commonly used in many of their dishes however, it is believed to have originally been used by ancient Grecians, Egyptians, and Romans, later introduced to Kashmir, India, and China. Allegedly, Arabs may have introduced it to Spain, and Crusaders then took it to Northern Europe. There is a sazón that contains saffron, and there is another version with achiote, also commonly known as annatto. Achiote is believed to originate in the Caribbean but was also used by Mayans and in the Lesser Antilles by the Indigenous people as body paint, considering its vermillion hue. Today, it is used all over the Caribbean and in Mexico to add color to countless dishes.

Throughout my research, many of the articles have stated, “It is believed” or “while the exact details remain uncertain,” just goes to show you how difficult it is to find the exact origins of a dish. People have been stewing meat and potatoes since ancient times, and it has just continued to evolve. So many cultures have contributed to what is the modern-day pollo guisado. It continues to change today with people boycotting Goya and creating their own adobo and sazón blends or purchasing more “health conscious” options without preservatives. My mother personally hasn’t used Goya products in years. I remember when writing my thesis in grad school; I mentioned part of my cooking data was to match the color and taste of my mother’s guisado. It is not possible to match the exact color of Sazón as there is a red dye added to make it the vibrant orange that it is today. If you’re using an organic or homemade blend, it likely won’t match but it will come close. People have used combinations of paprika, annatto, and turmeric to get as close to Goya’s vibrant sazón. That’s purely eating out of nostalgia, though, and it does not have to match exactly. The harm of remaining a Puritan in the kitchen comes into play here.

We can agree that there are ancient, Spanish, and Indigenous influences in the comforting household staple of Pollo Guisa’o. The late Professor Ortiz Cuadra, a Puerto Rican food historian, said it best:

“Our food is a mongrel and mulatto food. It is a combination of food known to the Indians, food that came in the Spanish conquest, the result of slave trade and the desires for survival of Africans who came as slaves.”

It is a food birthed from devastation and rampage. A revolutionary food. Exemplary of how eating is an act of resistance on all fronts. Despite its history, we have made it our own and honor its harmful and complex history. However, its legacy will be remembered as comforting countless Caribbeans, especially within the diaspora. Eating with family at the dinner table, an easy meal while visiting grandma for the summer, or the first thing you ever made after moving far from home. It is my favorite for a reason and will continue to be, and I hope to one day pass this history and appreciation down to my children, and the domino will fall from there.