With Aybendito, Chef Cristina Baez Brings Puerto Rican Home Cooking Home to Portland—Including the Snack That Divides Her Own Home

Pastelillos are folded pockets of pastry, stuffed to the edges with sweet or savory filling then fried. Across Puerto Rico, three primary brands fight to gain allegiance with their signature pastelillo dough—Titan, Mayagüezanas, and Kikuet—and one’s plantilla preference can fuel familial rifts.