Contents
This country is famous for its sunny, cheerful days, festivals, incendiary dances, songs, Cuban rum and cigars. It seems that life on Liberty Island is carefree and resembles one continuous holiday.
Cuba’s cuisine is very simple and nutritious and is a mixture of Spanish, Chinese, African and Latin American culinary traditions. That is why Cuban dishes are original, unusual – to match their reputation. What you should definitely try if you are going to travel to Cuba?
Ropa vieja
This name literally translates as “old rags”. A dish is prepared from finely chopped beef or pork, which is stewed in tomato sauce. Ropa vieja is served on a pad of friable rice with fried bananas and other vegetables. Incredibly delicate with a slight spicy note.
Vaka frita
Waka frita is another beef meat dish that is seasoned with fresh spices and herbs, lemon juice, and zam is fried until crispy and aromatic. The dish is served with finely chopped onions and bell peppers.
Moros and Christianos
This dish reflects the historical era in the life of Cubans, when the Moors and Christians lived next to each other on the island. The dish consists of black beans (Moors) and white rice (Christians), accompanied by spices of oregano, orange juice and garlic.
Ahiako
The visiting card of the island is ajiaco soup. This thick chowder is a daily everyday meal made with beef, bananas, corn, pumpkin, yucca and lemon. This assortment of products gives the soup a very unusual taste. The ancient Cubans prepared this soup from fish, the Spaniards added pork, and African slaves added vegetables. This is how the modern version of the ajiaco was born.
Piccadilly
It is a favorite dish of the writer Hemingway, who seasoned it with almonds to his liking. Consists of a picadillo of ground beef, potatoes, olives, garlic. All ingredients are stewed in wine and seasonings, and raisins and nuts are added at the end.
Grilled meat
Trying a pork leg in Cuba is too commonplace. Here tourists will be served crocodile meat, which is grown on special farms. Crocodilatine tastes like a cross between chicken and squid. The most delicious are the paws and tail. Previously, the Cubans preferred meat to turtles, but due to the extinction of these animals, it was forbidden to exterminate them for food.
Oxtail
Another Cuban meat delicacy is oxtail, which is carefully marinated before cooking and then stewed for several hours to make the meat tender and digestible. Serve the tail pieces with yellow rice and fried bananas.
Medianche
The dish is translated from Spanish as “midnight”. This is a variation on the Cuban sandwich theme served in Havana’s nightclubs. There is no mayonnaise in the medianoche – only ham, pork, cheese and pickled cucumbers between layers of fragrant egg bread.
Guava glazed ribs
As soon as ribs are not prepared in different countries of the world, Cubans prefer to eat them glazed in aromatic guava syrup. The result is a shiny glaze, and the stewed meat literally melts in your mouth.
Yucca sauce
Cuba is famous for its unusual sauces. For example, the national pride of the island is the cassava sauce, which is first fried in orange juice, seasoned with chili, spices and garlic. It is served with meat, mainly pork.
Flan
This dessert has become popular since the time of colonization. In appearance and structure, it resembles a crème brulee with a lemon flavor, subtly sweet, with sourness, it will not leave indifferent any gourmet.
Tostones
Cuban bananas are a popular ingredient. They are baked, fried, salted, tormented. Tostonet is a salty banana snack. The fruits are fried twice in a large amount of oil. The first roast leaves the inside of the banana soft, while the second leaves a thin crisp. Before use, the appetizer is well salted and eaten hot.
Koppelia
The production of ice cream, which is served in the famous Coppelia ice cream parlor, began by Fidel back in the 60s. Today, the varieties of this ice cream are several times less than other well-known brands, but it is definitely unique and unusual in taste. The dessert is prepared entirely from the most delicate cream.
Churros
This is a street food dish that is prepared in front of passers-by. Not cooled down, they are sprinkled with powdered sugar. Churros have a crispy crust and remain soft on the inside.
Cuban cocktails
In addition to rum, Cuba is famous for the authorship of many cocktails based on this alcoholic drink – Cuba Libre (Free Cuba), Mojito (Mojito), Mulata (Mulata), as well as Hemingway’s favorite drink – Daiquiri (Daiquiri). These cocktails are popular all over the world, but it is in Cuba that you can taste them according to classic recipes.