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Taste the Flavors of Latin America at Festival Betances

Our Festival Betances is starting this Friday July 17th until Sunday July 19th. As Latinos, food is a huge part of our culture, so we wanted to bring some of our flavors to the festival, so that you can experience our culture through our food. Here’s a sneak preview into the different types you will get to enjoy during the weekend. This year we will have our traditional Puerto Rican dishes like the long-time favorite alcapurrias, as well as bacalaitos. An alcapurria is a crunchy fried dough with a meaty filling. The dough is made of green bananas and eddoe -- a small root vegetable from the islands. This combination of ingredients and cooking represents our diversity, alcapurrias are the result of the mix of European, Taino, and African influences. [caption id="attachment_3664" align="aligncenter" width="708"] Eddoe[/caption] Bacalaitos are a staple in Puerto Rican festivals and beaches. This typical food is a golden brown cod pancake fried to perfection, with a salty and garlicky taste, that goes perfectly well with an ice cold drink, like Puerto Rico’s national Piña Colada which will aso be a prominent feature at our festival. This famous drink was actually invented in San Juan, although more than one bar will boast and say that the drink was born there. [caption id="attachment_3662" align="aligncenter" width="713"] Bacalaito[/caption] Besides Puerto Rican cuisine, our vendors will be representing a diverse set of Latin American countries including Mexican with their typical street food, or “antojitos,” delicious snack-like dishes such as tamales, enchiladas, and tacos. Antojitos are a huge part of Mexican life dating back to pre-colonization times. The country was named by Forbes magazine as one of the foremost places to eat street food in the world. Most of these dishes have a corn base, but are still very unique and varied. [caption id="attachment_3663" align="alignnone" width="708"] Enchiladas[/caption] Last, but not least, we couldn’t be hosting a festival in New England without fried seafood. This area is famous for dishes such as fried clams, haddock, shrimp, and scallops. Our proximity to the harbors have made the region historically reliant on fishing, and the cuisine has developed accordingly. So, don’t miss this chance to taste and experience this variety of flavors from all over the world. For more information about the festival and a full schedule of activities visit: http://bit.ly/Betances-Program2015 See you there, and remember to come with your appetite!...