Whenever anyone talks about Cuba, food is not the thing they necessarily liked the best. For the most part, the ordinary Cubans make very little money and the staples in their diet, much like Mexico are rice, beans and fish. Pork and chicken are available. Beef is rare (no pun intended). There are two levels of restaurants which we will encounter on the trip – those for tourists and those for locals! Let’s start with a little history of Cuban food –
History
Cuban cuisine has been influenced by Spanish, French, African, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese cultures. Traditional Cuban cooking is primarily peasant cuisine that had little concern with measurements, order and timing. A majority of the dishes are sautéed or slow-cooked over a low flame. Most Cuban cooking relies on a few basic spices, such as garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay laurel leaves. Many dishes use a sofrito as their basis. Sofrito, used as the basis for seasoning in many dishes, consists of onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, and ground pepper quick-fried in olive oil. The sofrito is what gives certain foods their distinctive flavor. It is used when cooking black beans, stews, various meat dishes, and tomato-based sauces. Meats and poultry are usually marinated in citrus juices, such as lime or sour orange juices, and then roasted over low heat until the meat is tender and literally falling off the bone. Another common staple to the Cuban diet are root vegetables such as yuca, malanga, and boniato, which are found in most Latin markets. These vegetables are flavored with a marinade, called mojo, which includes hot olive oil, lemon juice, sliced raw onions, garlic, cumin, and a little water.
A Typical Meal
A typical meal would consist of rice and beans, cooked together or apart. When cooked together the recipe is called either “Congri” or “Moros” or “Moros y Cristianos” (black beans and rice). If cooked separately it is called “Arroz con/y Frijoles” (rice with/and beans). A main course (mainly pork or beef) like “Ropa Vieja”, some sort of vianda (not to be confused with the French viande which stands for “meat”, this term encompasses several types of tubers, such as yuca, malanga, and potato all served either hervidas (boiled) or fritas (fried), as well as plantains, unripe bananas and even corn), a salad (usually simply composed of tomato, lettuce and avocado, though cucumber, carrots, cabbage, fermented green beans and radish are not uncommon). Curiously, typical criollo meals largely ignore fruit, except ripe plantains, which are usually consumed together with the rice and beans. Tropical fruit could be served, however, depending on each family’s preferences. Usually, all dishes are brought together to the table at once, except maybe for desserts which typically consists of guava candied in syrup with anise and cinnamon served with a tangy and pungent white Sheep milk cheese.
Boliche
Rice and beans are a culinary element found throughout Cuba, although it varies by region. In the eastern part of the island, “arroz congri oriental” is the predominant rice and bean dish. White rice and red kidney beans are cooked together with a sofrito and then baked in the oven. The same procedure is used for the above mentioned Congri (also known by the terms Arroz Moro and Moros y Cristianos – literally “Moors and Christians”) which instead uses black beans. Although the process of preparing the black bean soup contains basics (onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt) each region has their tradition of preparing it.
Meat, when available on ration book is usually served in light sauces. The most popular sauce, used to accompany not only roasted pork, but also the viandas, is Mojo or Mojito (not to be confused with the Mojito cocktail), made with oil, garlic, onion, spices such as oregano and bitter orange or lime juice. The origin of Cuban mojo comes from the mojo sauces of the Canary Islands. Cuban mojo is made with different ingredients, but the same idea and technique is used from the Canary Islands. Of course with so many Canary Islander immigrants in Cuba, the Canary Islander influence was strong. Ropa vieja is shredded beef dish (usually flank) simmered in tomato-based criollo sauce until it falls apart. Ropa Vieja is the Spanish name meaning “old clothes”, in which the dish gets its name from the shredded meat resembling “old clothes”. Ropa vieja is also from the Canary Islands, as is many of the origins of Cuban food. Boliche is a beef roast, stuffed with chorizo sausage and hard boiled eggs.
Equally popular are tamales, although not exactly similar to its Mexican counterpart. Made with fresh ground corn, Sofrito (tomato,onion,garlic Etc.) and pieces of pork meat, tamales are wrapped in corn leaves and tied, boiled in salted water and served in a number of different ways. Tamales en cazuela is almost the same recipe, although it does not require the lengthy process of packing the tamales in the corn leaves before cooking, but rather is directly cooked in the pot. Tamales as well as black bean soup, are among the few indigenous foods that have remained part of the modern Cuban cuisine.
Stews and soups are common. These are usually consumed along with white rice or gofio (a type of corn flour, also from the Canary Islands), or eaten alone. Corn stew, corn soup (guiso), caldosa (a soup made with a variety of tubers and meats), are popular dishes as well. Also common when available are the popular white bean Spanish stews, such as Caldo gallego (Galician stew), Fabada Asturiana (Asturian Stew) and Cocido de Garbanzos (chickpea stew).
Cuban cuisine uses citrus (i.e. sour orange, lime, lemon), tomato, vinegar, onion, garlic, peppers, white wine or beer (depending on region and dish), raisins and olives/capers to flavor almost every savory dish. This combination of flavor often results in complex flavors with sweet, salty and acidic components. Cuban desserts are known for their sweetness and many desserts use citrus peel, cinnamon and/or anise seed to add distinct flavor. Tropical fruits are often cooked in a sugar syrup with cinnamon and citrus peel and served on white cheese for contrasting flavor or baked in flaky pastries.
Cuban sandwich
A Cuban sandwich (sometimes called a “mixto“, especially in Cuba) is a popular lunch item that grew out of the once-open flow of cigar workers between Cuba and Florida (specifically Key West and Ybor City, Tampa) in the late 1800s and has since spread to other Cuban-American communities.
The sandwich is built on a base of lightly buttered Cuban bread and contains sliced roast pork, thinly sliced Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, and yellow mustard. In Tampa, Genoa salami is traditionally layered in with the other meats, probably due to influence of Italian immigrants who lived side-by-side with Cubans and Spaniards in Ybor City. Tomatoes and lettuce are available additions in many restaurants, but these are considered by traditionalists as an unacceptable Americanization of the sandwich.
After assembly, the Cuban sandwich may be pressed in a grooveless panini-type grill called a “plancha“, which both heats and compresses the contents. It is usually cut in half diagonally before serving.
The bottom line here is…get really excited when you have a great meal anywhere in Cuba!
Cuban Odyssey 