Every time Manolo Lopez entered his house as a child, he would instantly become hungry, even if he had just eaten.

The aroma of the food of my mother, Malgarita, I was captivated immediately.

That aroma came from the vegetables that my grandparents had in my house and that my mother used to cook.

Manolo grew up in the Puerto Rican countryside, in a coastal town called Aguada, where he was just one of many who loved his mother's cooking.

She was like a local celebrity who used her food to create a community.

Her dishes were so popular that she started to give classes in the garage of the house and teach other mothers to cook.

Most of her signature dishes are iconic to the island of Puerto Rico.

They include local ingredients like plantains or platanos.

The new dish is a part of our daily diet.

Between cold dishes, soups and other dishes, there was a dish that was the favorite of all and that was prepared in special occasions.

The Mofongo.

Mofongo is a treasured dish on the island and in the Puerto Rican diaspora.

It's prepared with fried green plantains and Manolo's mother has a special way of making it.

One pylon is a wooden mortar and puzzle, commonly found in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean.

And chicharrones are fried pork belly or pork rinds.

Then, she decorated the dish with a special sauce and a little cilantro.

That dish was like a cleaning trophy.

Bienvenidos and welcome to the Duolingo Spanish Podcast.

I am Martina Castro.

Every episode we bring you fascinating, true stories to help you improve your Spanish listening

and gain new perspectives on the world.

The storyteller will be using intermediate Spanish and I'll be chiming in for context in English.

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