A look at the rich cuisine and culture of the forbidden island that many
never forgot
April 11, 2007
BY SANDY THORN CLARK
During the eight months since Cuban President Fidel Castro became ill
and transferred power to his brother, Raul, speculation has centered on
what a post-Fidel Castro Cuba might be like.
Cuba -- an island 90 miles off the coast of Florida -- is likely to be
more open to Americans, possibly even eventually returning to being a
popular weekend destination offering the five mainstays of any Cuban
feast (roast pork, black beans, white rice, fried plantains, and yuca
with lemon, olive oil and garlic) and croquettes, empanadas, fritters
and tamales.
Hot-hot-hot Cuban eateries
Whether you're in the mood for a simple cubano or a full-on meal of ropa
vieja, these Cuban eateries have you covered.
While U.S. citizens have not been prohibited from traveling to Cuba, the
Trading With the Enemy Act prohibits U.S. citizens (journalists,
cultural exchange program participants, scholars and humanitarians are
exempt) from spending money in Cuba. With tourists needing to pay for
food and accommodations, the U.S. edict has amounted to a travel ban.
Former Chicagoan Beverly Cox, co-author of Eating Cuban: 120 Authentic
Recipes from the Streets of Havana to American Shores (Stewart, Tabori &
Chang, $37.50), learned firsthand that Cubans warmly welcome Americans
to their soil and have no restrictions on U.S. visitors.
"Cubans were very nice to us," says Cox, who legally visited Cuba twice
while writing the cookbook, assuming the role of consultant with a U.S.
delegation of food exporters.
"At first, Marty [cookbook photographer Martin Jacobs] and I said,
'Maybe we should say we're Canadians' when Cubans asked our origin. When
we said 'Canadians,' the Cubans were disappointed. When we said we were
from the United States, oh my gosh! They loved that! Almost everyone
told us about at least one relative in the U.S."
Cubans were very willing to share their rich culinary history that
reflects the influences of Native American, Spanish, African, Chinese
and French immigrations, Cox said. They also were willing to share their
recipes built around the staples of rice and beans, pork, chicken, fried
or broiled root vegetables -- often flavored with onions, garlic
tomatoes and spices -- though many Cubans have difficulty finding and/or
affording some of the ingredients.
"Thankfully, the creativity is still there," Coloradoan Cox acknowledges.
Asked about the quality of food visitors to Cuba could expect to
experience, Cox is blunt: "The place for good food is not in Cuban
hotels or the government restaurants. Instead, it's from street vendors
who make their own fritters and croquettes or at paladares, the private
restaurants, which can be elegant or a simple takeout window."
In a nod to free enterprise, the Cuban government has permitted a
limited number of homeowners to convert a section of their dwelling into
a family run restaurant; seating is limited to 12. Paladares are most
common in larger tourist areas such as Havana.
WBBM-Channel 2 news anchor Antonio Mora, a native of Havana, is hopeful
that the availability of great food in Cuba will improve as Cuba opens
up. Mora, who left Cuba with his parents in 1960, would like to take his
wife, Julie, and children, Clara, 10, and Antonio, 7, to Cuba to
experience the aroma -- a combination of onions, tomatoes, bay leaves,
garlic and other spices cooking in olive oil -- he cherishes.
Mora's favorite Cuban meal is beef picadillo -- a hashlike dish with
ground beef, onions, green peppers, pimento-stuffed green olives and
raisins served on white rice with sides of black beans and fried
plantains. His favorite cocktail is Ernest Hemingway's daiquiri,
invented at El Floridita Bar in Havana.
Minnesotan Glenn Lindgren who, with native Cubans Raul Musibay and Jorge
Castillo, co-authored Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban: 100 Great
Recipes for Cuban Entertaining (Gibbs Smith, $29.95), points out that
the popularity of Cuban food has meant an increase in Cuban restaurants
-- especially in cities such as Miami, Tampa, New York and Chicago --
and wider availability of Cuban products in local groceries or online.
"You can create the perfect Cuban party with good food, good friends,
good conversation, and a good drink or two," Lindgren advises. "All you
need to add is Cuban music: anything from Celia Cruz to Willy Chirino
and Gloria Estefan."
Sandy Thorn Clark is a Chicago-based freelance writer.
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/334798,FOO-News-cuba11.article
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