Cuba's food and drink traditions

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean. The people are Spanish speaking, and the regime is communist. Caribbean or Creole cuisine in Cuba remains the main culinary attraction for both visitors and locals. Restaurants are gathering places for families and friends. Eating out is as common as eating at home. Traditional music, or “guajira,” is usually provided by a strolling “trova” group, accompanied by the loud chattering of the eaters. Evening meals start quite late and often last two to three hours. The food is consumed in a very leisurely fashion, with long and chatty breaks for smoking between courses.

There are so many dishes that are loved by the Cuban people that it would take a separate book to record them all. Moros y Cristianos is the national dish. Thick soups, normally filled with everything imaginable a sort of meal in a bowl are also very popular. Black beans, as in almost every meal, along with fried plantain, boiled or fried yucca (cassava), and plain boiled rice.

Fruit juices are an exquisite treat, such as guava, orange, grapefruit, tamarind, and passion fruit either fresh, or made by Taoro, the most famous of Cuban canned juices.

Imaginative desserts include: coco quemado, a coconut pudding; coco rallado y queso, grated coconut with cheese in syrup; brasco gitano, a custard-filled roll; pressed into a cone shape and wrapped in banana leaf; and Helado Coppelia, a brand of ice cream in a variety of fruity flavours. There are Coppelitas (ice cream stalls) everywhere, as well as vans bringing Coppelia far into the countryside.

Snacks, known as “tamales,” are available on every street corner.

One well-known spot for eating totally Creole food is La Bodeguita del Medio. Many famous artists and authors congregated here in Cuba’s past; it was one of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite haunts; and the walls are covered with signatures and dates from visitors from all walks of life. La Ferminia is another popular Creole restaurant.

Cuban coffee is available at most bars and roadside stalls. It is drunk very strong, out of tiny cups, often accompanied by ice water. Cuba’s coffee is as famous as its rum and there is a ritual for sipping. Unless one is on the move, grapping a quick cup to sustain you, coffee is mostly imbibed with friends and followed by tamales or bocadillos (large Cuban sandwiches