Apr, 2021
Many travelers are pleasantly surprised at the quality and variety of food that can be found in Cuba. Beans and rice are the staples, along with cucumber, tomato and cabbage as conventional ingredients for a Cuban salad. Chicken and pork are the most common meats served in Cuba. However, fish and a surprising variety of delicious seafood are also very frequently offered.
Here are eight of the most common Cuban foods and dishes. Try not to drool all over your keyboard!
Moros y cristianos (black beans and rice)
Ropa vieja tastes better than its name suggests!
Tostones aka tachinos aka chatinos. (Try saying that 3 times fast!)
Picadillo cubano served with plantains & rice and black beans
Mojo cubano…bottoms up! 😉
Medianoche… *drool*
Arroz con leche is a perfect way to top off a meal.
Flan with caramel is a must.
Additionally, fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season are to be found and include : mango, pineapple, papaya, guava, coconut, orange, grapefruit, breadfruit, corn, an assortment of sweet potatoes, bananas and enormous avocados, as well as many other tropical fruits.
Breakfast is included everyday on all of our trips in Cuba. It is an especially wholesome and filling experience at the homestays (casa particulares). The breakfast varies from house to house and typically includes coffee, milk, fruit juice, bread, eggs (or omelette), and fresh fruit.
Cubans are gradually becoming more aware of vegetarianism. Many of them are aware of its existence, but do not quite understand the reasoning behind it. The belief that to eat well means eating meat is still firmly embedded in the nation’s consciousness. However, through the influence of tourism, more and more vegetarian options are to be found on restaurant menus in Cuba and the cooks in the homestays are now quite accustomed to providing vegetarian meals. Therefore, it is not too difficult to get a vegetarian meal in Cuba, although you generally won’t find much variety and you may get tired of being offered the same (i.e. rice, beans, omelet and salad) everyday.
A vegetarian dinner in the homestays in Cuba will cost between 5 and 8 CUC. This isn’t much cheaper than a dinner containing meat and the reason is that vegetables on the free market in Cuba are of similar prices to those of meat.
There is little problem maintaining a strict gluten-free diet in Cuba. This is mainly because the food in Cuba is very natural (there isn’t much processed food available in Cuba). This is especially true in the homestays where there is also the additional advantage of being able to order specific meals and give the cook instructions about what you can and cannot eat. The guides are informed about gluten intolerance and to know which ingredients to instruct the cooks to avoid.
Most of the food you will have at paladares is limited to what is produced locally and what is in season. The US relies on mass imports and industrial farming to provide us variation in food year round. In Cuba, you will be offered what is in season. If it is avocado season, you will eat many avocados. If it is guava season, you will eat a lot of guavas, and so on. It is quite a treat to eat local and organic food. Monsanto and other US pesticide and GMO corporations are not allowed into Cuba due to the embargo, so think of how fresh the fruits and veggies will taste! Also, the meat is all grass-fed and free range. In Cuba, there is no industrial farming in which the livestock are pumped full of antibiotics or mistreated. Cuban pigs can lay on their backs and play in the mud! ¡Buen provecho!
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This way of making agriculture, just hope that will stay like this forever in Cuba!