Papalaya

The Papalaya Food Truck, or more commonly known as Papalaya, is a Latin-American cuisine food truck chain in Puerto Rico.[1] Its name comes from the shortened form of the Filipino magpapalaya, which translates as "will [or shall] set you free" or "liberate you".[2]

Papalaya logo used in the Mayagüez location.

History

Papalaya was started as a small food truck run by Celso Figueroa in front of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) in 2012, with his friend, the engineer Nelson Medina, becoming his business partner in 2014.[1] Its original truck is located in the back parking lot of the Mayagüez Town Center shopping mall,[3] with a second location in Ponce, which opened in 2018.[4]

Papalaya's most popular product.

Its cuisine is wide-ranging, including Criollo, fried, Mexican and street food,[5] which is described as "Mexican with a Puerto Rican flavor" since their sauces are prepared in-house, and their food lacks both beans and hot sauce, instead seasoning the meats "Puerto Rican style."[1] Additionally, it also caters to a wider public with vegetarian menu options, with its most requested product being "nachos with grated cheese, pico de gallo and in-house sauce".[1] Previously, it used to offer daily lunch-only specials.[6]

Papalaya also hosts fundraisers for projects of institutions of learning, such as the neighboring UPRM.[7]

Roaming Hunger described the cuisine offering as:

Classic Puerto Rican comfort food dominates the menu, with sandwiches flying out alongside rich, textured nachos and plates of lasagna to hungry mouths the island-wide. Portions aren't shy...

— Papalaya Food Truck, Roaming Hunger[8]

See also

References
  1. "Comer en Mayagüez Papalaya Food Truck" [Eating in Mayagüez Papalaya Food Truck]. ¡Mayagüez sabe a mangó! (in Spanish). Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  2. "kasi ang katotohanan lang ang mag papalaya sa iyo" [Because only the truth will set you free]. MyMemory (in Filipino). Translated Labs. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. "Papalaya Food Truck Mayagüez" (PDF). EBT.pizza (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  4. "Estamos a sólo horas de nuestro "Warm Up" de apertura" [We are just hours away from our opening "Warm Up".]. Facebook (in Spanish). 14 August 2018. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  5. "Papalaya". Discover Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  6. "Papalaya". Sal! (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  7. "Fundraising en Papalaya" [Fundraising at Papalaya]. Canoa de Hormigón UPRM (in Spanish). Wix.com. 31 October 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  8. "Papalaya Food Truck". Roaming Hunger. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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