Thanksgiving is literally all about the food. We spend days planning out the menu and creating the most wonderful food experience of the year. For Latinos, the food game is exceptionally strong because we just know how its done.

Panes Con Pavo

Panes con pavo come after Thanksgiving as a delicious way to eat your leftovers. It definitely works. A pan con pavo is that splendid leftover turkey in a sandwich with some homemade salsa, cortido, cucumbers, tomatoes, and anything else you might want to add. You know it’s good if the juices are running down your arm like a po’ boy.

Congri

What seems like a basic dish requires the cooking prowess of an abuela. The way the beans are perfectly seasoned to balance out the rice is something you learn from experience. It’s a delicate balance to really add a layer of flavor to the beans that don’t overpower everything nor do they come up short. The mere image of this dish conjures up the memories of Thanksgivings past, especially for Cubans.

Arroz Con Leche

The smell of cinnamon filling the air is what all holidays are about. Arroz con leche is the quintessential dessert in Latino culture. The creamy goodness of the dairy and rice mixed with some sugar and cinnamon is enough to make you remember all of your fondest childhood memories. You might see this dessert everywhere during the holidays but it does make an occasional appearance throughout the year.

Tamales

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There are always too many tamales created during the holidays. The running joke is that you will be eating frozen tamales until the end of summer because of how many your family makes. There is something so enticing about seeing the husk come off a warm tamal, releasing steam into the air. The cornmeal goodness is something no one will ever pass up on.

Tostones

Simple. Bite-size. Tostones are one of the most heavenly foods to come out of Latino culture. The savory plantain dish is a perfect pairing for just about any meal. Photos of the golden fried disks with salt sprinkled over them will make anyone’s mouth water. You can almost hear the crunch of these tostones when you look at the photo.

Pernil

A turkey is cool but a pernil is just… *chef’s kiss.* The crunchy skin of the pork coupled with the garlicky flavor that is infused in the meat is a coupling made from the most divine minds. The exquisite pork dish is a perfect substitute for anyone’s planned turkey on the big day.

Tres Leches Cake

Tres leches cake is another dessert that all Latinos have come to know and love. Who doesn’t enjoy a cake that is both light and fluffy while being sweet and juicy? The tres leches cake is always the most highlighted dessert and it should be. The delicate dessert is the showstopper and that is why it comes after the meal and paired with a nice coffee.

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