History of Cuban Cuisine: Food & Drink Section Headliner Arielle Egozi Cubanheritage.Com There Is Nothing Quite Like Eating
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History of Cuban Cuisine: Food & Drink Section Headliner Arielle Egozi CubanHeritage.com There is nothing quite like eating fresh pastelitos and crispy croquetas at Abuela’s house, while dipping your tostada in your café con leche in the morning. Whether you prefer ropa vieja or vaca frita is irrelevant – both make your mouth fill up with water like the swimming pool at your cousin’s house. Cuban food, like the culture, is an accidental blend of native Taino, European (mostly Spanish with a splash of French and Portuguese), African, and Caribbean food, with a hint of Chinese. Because of Cuba’s climate, tropical fruits and root vegetables abound, and many dishes incorporate the seafood that is so freshly abundant on the island. As one of the earliest colonies in the New World, Cuba has had immigrants from all reaches of the world, yet one of the most impactful additions have been made by the imported African slaves, who invented the most loved of Cuban foods - tostones! They decided to reinvent the bananas and plantains they were fed, eventually flattening and cooking the plantains. The native peoples on the island had cultivated corn and cassava, as well as a variety of other fruits and vegetables, and introduced them to the Spanish colonizers, who had brought over cattle and pigs from Spain. China’s influence runs quite deep as they were the first to bring over rice by way of the Spanish settlers, and it wasn’t until the Indian and Chinese came over in the late 1800s that it began being cultivated, since no one else knew how – it is amazing to think that one of the biggest staple foods not just of Cuba, but of all Latina America, came from Asia. Rice was actually considered an “exotic” food type for many years, as it was not native to Cuba or Spain. Beans on the other hand, were native to the island, and arroz con frijoles have been married ever since. When the foods are mixed together, they are often called moros, or moros y cristianos, meaning the Moors and Christians – the black beans representing the dark Muslim Moors, the white rice the Christians – a reference probably created by the Spanish settlers who opposed the 8th century Islamic conquest of Spain that lasted until the Reconquista in the 15th century. The Chinese immigrants had yet another impact on Cuban food – la caja china. Cubans would watch the Chinese indentured laborers in Chinatown cook their meals after work on makeshift wooden boxes with unorthodox fires that placed the heat source at the top of the box. Their creation was extremely efficient and left the famous traditional pig soft and tender, solidifying la caja china as a staple of Cuban festivities, particularly Christmas and New Years. Another Cuban staple, and perhaps a better word for it is addiction, is coffee. Coratidos and café con leche are known as feeling “like a hit of crack” if you’re not used to it – and probably feel similarly to those that are, well, basically addicted. This super strong shot of coffee is now not only required for sleepy eyes and afternoon lulls in Cuba, but in Miami as well, where la ventanitas, or little windows, of the Cuban diners dole out tiny plastic cups that look like thumbnails filled with steaming shots of electricity. And of course, every cafecito goes well with a pastelito, like the famous pastel de guayaba. Origins are unknown, but one version is that this glorious invention came about by a Lebanese man living in Cuba who wanted to replicate the bak-lava he was so used to eating back home. He couldn’t find the ingredients from the Mediterrean, so modified them to include guava, cheese, and coconut instead. Another theory goes that it was the slaves working in Spanish and Cuban sugar mills that invented it, and yet another believes it is native to Cuban households who would serve it as an appetizer or dessert. Food was never a problem on this plentiful island until Castro’s revolution made food sources sparse and quality low – the chefs and restaurant owners of the luxurious Cuba of the 1950s fled the country, and the nationalization of farms and mills deteriorated crop production and quality, exporting all the good harvests. Cuban restaurants became government owned, and are notorious for their slow service and very bland meals. The very few privately run paladares that exist are under strict guidelines and can only serve up to 12 customers at a time, and are just as affected by the unavailability of menu items as food is government property and food shortages are a part of daily life. In Miami, however, Cuban food has become the city’s food – feeding Cubans and non-Cubans alike. Unlike most big cities around the country, Miami’s coffee culture doesn’t revolve around low lights and indie music, rather it shows itself through loud little windows playing Latin radio and even louder laughter punctuated with “mi vida” and “mi cielo”. Little Havana, a distinctly Cuban district near Miami’s Downtown, has entered yet another revival, with more restaurants and venues for Cubans and gringos alike. The Cuban restaurants in Miami must be almost in the hundreds, croquetas and pasteles can be found among dozens of gas stations, and to the chagrin of anyone who has opened a cookie tin at Abuela’s house only to find her sewing kit, it seems that Cubanismo isn’t going anywhere anytime soon in the city. Douglas Rodriguez, a spunky 24-year-old in the 80s decided that the Cubanismo of his generation was going to look a bit different. He opened YUCA (Young Urban Cuban American), in Miami’s Coral Gables which won him “Chef of the Year, Miami” from The Chefs of America as well as a James Beard nomination (he eventually wins two of these most prestigious awards through his career). He introduced Nuevo Latino to the culinary world, a fusion of traditional Latin American cuisine as its base, with a flair of European and Caribbean spice – and all of a sudden, the foods he grew up with were no longer just for the newly arrived immigrants holding on to their culture, but for elite diners and top chefs to emulate around the world. Cuban food has had its iterations, but the distinct Cubanness always remains. Cuban sushi? Put a platano in it. Ice cream? Mix it with mamey. The culinary section of Cuban Heritage aims to reinvent nothing, only elicit and highlight memories of your own favorite foods, how you like your cafecito, and what it felt like the first time you experienced a spoonful of flan. We will curate recipes and guide you through the best Cuban restaurants, but what we really want is to hear from you. We want your abuelita’s recipe for meringues, we want to know where your favorite spot is for a cortadito, and we want to watch your family gathered together around their own caja china. This section is for you to share with the world why your mom’s best friend makes the best arroz con pollo you’ve ever had, even if she won’t tell you how she manages to make it so moist. Welcome to your Cuban website. .