Editing Mayagüez, Puerto Rico (section)

===Contributions to Puerto Rican gastronomy===
Mayagüez's contributions to [[Puerto Rican cuisine|Puerto Rican gastronomy]] have been many, and a few of these are known outside Puerto Rico. Besides being host to one of the largest concentrations of [[mango]] trees in the island, the city has been a host to various food enterprises whose products are popular in Puerto Rico (and  elsewhere):
*{{Lang|es|[[Brazo gitano]]}} – literally "[[Romani people|gypsy]] arm", is the locally produced [[Swiss roll|Swiss or jelly roll]], originally from Spain. E. Franco & Co., a bakery, food importer, and restaurant established in the late 1850s, is the best-known provider of {{Lang|es|brazos gitanos}} in town. Another (more recent) provider is Ricomini Bakery, whose central store in [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo|downtown Mayagüez]] has been open for over 100 years.
*''Sangría de Fido'' – the heirs of Wilfrido Aponte still bottle "Sangría de Fido", a powerful concoction inspired by [[sangria]], but made with fruit juices, [[Bacardi 151]] [[rum]] and [[burgundy wine]] (technically not from [[Burgundy (French region)|Bourgogne]], but produced by [[E & J Gallo Winery]] in [[Modesto, California]]). It had been bottled by hand by the bartender since the mid-1970s. ''"Sangría de Fido"'' has a sizeable reputation outside Puerto Rico, and can claim tasters from as far away as California and Spain. [[E & J Gallo Winery|E & J Gallo]] once awarded Aponte with a "Customer of the Year" award and flew him to their headquarters. Aponte was reportedly offered $250,000 by [[Bacardi]] to sell his original recipe once, to which he refused.
*Bolo's Sorullitos – a now-defunct operation that originated at Bolo's Restaurant, a seaside eatery next to [[Mayagüez Bay]], which produced sorullitos, or fried cornsticks, along with [[Fry sauce|mayo-ketchup]], a dip made of [[mayonnaise]], [[ketchup]], and garlic extract. The restaurant was popular in Puerto Rico between the late 1970s and mid-1980s (its custom-made building now houses [[WORA-TV]], one of the local television stations). For a while the frozen cornsticks were sold commercially in stores.
*Flan-Es-Cedó' – Elmec Industries, Inc. has been the local [[Crème caramel|flan]] producer for over thirty years
*India / [[Cervecería India|Medalla beer]] – the only remaining mass-produced [[Puerto Rican beer]] is brewed by "[[Cervecería India]]", one of the largest employers in town. ''Mayagüezanos'' are queued into morning rush hour, lunch and afternoon rush hour by the company's whistle, which rings at 7:00&nbsp;am, 8:00&nbsp;am, 12:00&nbsp;pm, 1:00&nbsp;p.m. and 5:00&nbsp;p.m. (all times [[Atlantic Standard Time Zone|AST]])
*[[Rex Cream's Ice Cream]] – established in the mid-1960s by [[Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico|Chinese migrants]] who came to Puerto Rico by the way of [[Costa Rica]], Rex Cream is a chain of ice cream parlors that had its heyday in the late 1970s. The two flagship stores in Mayagüez, however, are still popular (particularly on [[Good Friday]], since one of the stores is the endpoint for a Good Friday religious procession) for producing alternative ice cream flavors, particularly a [[Maize|corn]] [[Sherbet (U.S.)|sherbet]].
*[[Tuna|Tuna fish]] – At one time, [[Charlie the Tuna|StarKist]], [[Chicken of the Sea]], and [[Bumble Bee (brand)|Bumble Bee]] produced 80% of their collective production for consumption in the United States in Mayagüez. The last remaining tuna fish cannery closed in 2012 when Bumble Bee shuttered their operation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kantrow |first=Michelle |url=http://newsismybusiness.com/bumble-bee-closing-mayaguez-plant-after-40-years-leaving-200-jobless/ |title=Bumble Bee closing Mayagüez plant after 50 years, leaving 260 jobless |date=May 1, 2012 |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608204344/http://newsismybusiness.com/bumble-bee-closing-mayaguez-plant-after-40-years-leaving-200-jobless/ |archive-date=June 8, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*A new distillery was founded in Mayagüez in 2009, Destilería Coquí. Its production is limited to 100 bottles a day, their main product is artisan [[rum]] called [[pitorro]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vocero.com/noticia-29557-pitorro_de_mayagez.html |author=Carlos Antonio Otero |website=el Vocero |date=24 August 2009 |title=Bajante: La producción será de 100 botellas diarias a un precio de $20 |trans-title=Downstream: Production will be 100 bottles per day at a price of $20 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827111544/http://www.vocero.com/noticia-29557-pitorro_de_mayagez.html|archive-date=August 27, 2009}}</ref>

A defunct [[cola]] bottling operation in town produced "Vita Cola", a popular soft drink in Puerto Rico between the late 1940s and early 1960s.

Mayagüez was a major rum producing city in Puerto Rico between the 1930s and 1970s {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}. Several brands were produced by the city's three rum distillers. The most successful rum producing operation at the time was José González Clemente y Co., the bottlers of Ron Superior Puerto Rico, an award-winning [[dark rum]] that was bottled between 1909 and the late-1970s.
{{See also|List of Puerto Rican rums}}