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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
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