A moveable party: Cuban food
Cuban cuisine is a blend of Spanish, African, and Caribbean (Taino Indian) cuisines and includes recipes, spices, and dishes derived from all three cultures. This results in an interesting mix that tends to be simple, with fresh vegetables, fruits, cassava, beans, grilled meats, and fish. In Cuba, rice and beans are a staple, along with chicken, pork, and beef, as in the more traditional foods of Spain and Mexico, but the combinations and cooking methods vary.
Legendary author Ernest Hemingway spent years in Cuba, writing and enjoying local cuisine, before the overthrow of the country’s government by dictator Fidel Castro in 1959, which closed one of America’s favorite vacation spots. But Cuban cuisine thrives in South Florida, and venturing into a Cuban restaurant in search of fish tacos, chicken enchiladas, or shrimp burritos is a futile exercise. You won’t find them, unless you’re very Americanized. What you will find is authentic Cuban food, mixed with spices, a base of rice and black beans, and some wonderful dishes with plantains and other tropical fruits – a sample of what tops the hit parade of the natives:
National Dish of Cuba: Ropa Vieja, black beans, yellow rice, fried yucca and plantains, washed down with cold local beer;
In second place is definitely Arroz Con Pollo (rice with chicken), as basic as it sounds;
Moros y Cristianos: black beans and rice;
Fried plantains: a frequent side dish; (ripe bananas have almost black peels, so don’t let that put you off);
Tuna in spicy tomato sauce; tuna (bonito) abounds in Cuba;
Yucca plant: (cassava) a starchy substitute for potatoes;
Sofrito: basic tomato sauce that is added to meat or rice dishes;
Flan: (baked custard) a popular dessert, as in Mexico;
Mango Ice Cream: tropical mango sorbet;
Alinated Olives: marinated olives;
Typical Cuban Salad: (Cuban salad) your basic raw lettuce and tomato;
Its most popular and basic spices are available almost everywhere in the US and include bay leaf, oregano, coriander, cumin, and pepper. Many sauces have a tomato base.
In Cuba, plantain and bananas accounted for 47% and 24%, respectively, of local production and were grown only for domestic consumption. Other tropical fruits that are produced in Cuba are mango, papaya, pineapple, avocado and guava. Bananas have never been popular in the US, as we prefer our bananas, and bananas have a sweeter taste, which is generally used for cooking rather than just being eaten raw. They are undoubtedly an acquired taste, which most Americans have never acquired.
Cuban cuisine may be suitable for vegetarians, due to its liberal use of beans, rice, vegetables, and fruits, but don’t expect to order tofu or any other protein substitute. Most Cubans are poor, so indigenous food can be quite limited without the addition of some type of meat, fish, or poultry. However, don’t let that stop you from enjoying some of their hot sauces, salads, and rice dishes. Yucca is a popular starch like corn, but not in the typical tortilla form as in Mexican food. (And we guarantee you won’t find buttered cornbread or hush puppies, also made with corn.)
Although many countries can speak the same Spanish language, that in no way ensures that they eat similar foods. So venture out and expand your repertoire by exploring Cuban cuisine if the opportunity presents itself, and don’t go comparing it to our Mexican favorites. Havana does not have fast food restaurants, but if it did, you can be sure that Taco Bell would not be among them.
