Nothing says “I’m on island time” like the first sip of a piña colada. As it turns out, the famous frozen concoction was invented in Puerto Rico—at San Juan’s Barrachina, legend has it, or perhaps it was the Caribe Hilton Hotel. (Another story claims that the Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí first mixed it for his crew to boost morale). The debate has been raging for close to seventy years now, but one thing is uncontestable, and that’s the perfection of a Puerto Rican ocean view and a rum drink in your hand.
Near perfection, that is. For true tropical bliss, add something deep-fried and savory to your days exploring the island’s soft sand beaches, rainforests, and bioluminescent waters. For Von Diaz, the Puerto Rico–born, Georgia-raised author of the cookbook Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking, that might include crispy fritters made from taro, a starchy cousin of the potato. Or thick plates of savory pork, which you can seek out in well-known towns along Puerto Rico’s rutas del lechón (pork highways)—Naranjito, Trujillo Alto, Cayey. The fragrance of adobo wafting from open-air barbecues will tell you you’re in the right place.
