Mirroring the other areas of Cuban culture, such as music, the food on Cuba is a mixture between Spanish, African and Caribbean influences. There is also a notable Chinese influence, but mainly just in the area around Havana. This mixture is due to the colonisation of Cuba by Spain, and the African slaves brought there to work. The result of this is an extremely unique and flavoursome cuisine.
Throughout Cuba a standard meal is a mixture of beans and rice, but which beans and how they are combined changes in each region. In Western Cuba, for example rice is cooked and eaten separately from the beans and the meals contain a lot more flour than their eastern counterparts. There are some Havana dishes that use alcaparrado which is a mixture of olives raisins and caper, making a sweet and sour flavour.
In the east, however, white rice is cooked and eaten with red kidney beans, which is supposedly and influence from other nearby Spanish speaking countries. The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, for example have variants of their traditional dishes made on in eastern Cuba. An example of this is the mofongo, consisting of mashed plantains stuffed with meats.
When meat is available on ration it is often served with a light sauce, the most popular of which is the mojo sauce. The mojo sauces are derived from the Canary Islands, though they are slightly different, and they made with oil, garlic, onion and spices. Apart from these delicate sauces, the meat dishes are quite basic, such as the ropa vieja (old clothes) which is just shredded beef summered in a sauce.
When out and about in the city, Cubans enjoy a traditional sandwich. The Cuban bread is made with lard instead of oil, giving it a distinct texture, and inside is thinly sliced ham, cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard. Cuban food is testament to the mixed culture of the island and provides insight into its fascinating history.
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