Probing Cuba’s Culinary Soul

This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook

For many Quebecers, the words “gastronomy” and “Cuba” are contradictory. Poor, characterless, insipid, insufficient: the criticisms rain down on Cuban cuisine. But is it really justified? Without waiting, we went to meet this little-known part of this island of the Antilles, to discover an authentic, colorful, generous cuisine that is as warm as its inhabitants.

From the outset, two clarifications are necessary. On the one hand, when you go as a tourist to certain destinations, choosing a hotel below a certain category or without making inquiries can lead to unpleasant surprises. On the other hand, you should not expect to find the same dishes and products abroad as at home. Traveling also means opening up to others and what they have to offer.

So yes, the island of Cuba is better known for its beaches, rum, cigars and affordable all-inclusives than for its gastronomy. But it has much more to offer our taste buds than we thought, even if it faces economic, political and agricultural challenges.

The legacy of cultural mixing

Like other pearls of the Caribbean, Cuba is the heir to a long history and great cultural mixes. Over time, the aboriginal natives, to whom we owe the very first Cuban specialty, the cassava (a cassava pancake served with various protein fillings), mingled with Spanish settlers, African slaves and the Chinese diaspora. The island’s cuisine, like its architecture and culture, is therefore a joyful mix of genres.

This diversity is reflected in everyday food, particularly with the combination, at lunch, of fresh fruit juice (mango, guava, pineapple, watermelon), strong, sweet coffee and white bread spread with jam, cheese or mayonnaise.

The following meals are first of all composed of roasted, grilled or braised meat, fish or shellfish, which are rarely served whole, but rather sliced, shredded or crushed with other elements (spices and vegetables). They are presented in the Latin style in tacos, in the Creole style with plantain chips (which are cooked in many forms), yucca fries orrice with beans (rice with black beans), or European style with mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables (exceptionally raw) such as peppers, squash and carrots.

Cubans are also fond of soups. The best known, Cuban hot sauce (Cuban soup), has an infinite number of variations, but it is generally made with vegetables (in broth and cubes) and leftover meat. You can also opt for soups based on corn (which is even served as a thick puree), squash or fish.

We must not forget the essentials either croquettes (croquettes), a Spanish tradition revisited with Cuban ingredients. Nor the desserts! Rice with milk (milk rice), boniatillo (hearty sweet potato dessert), grated coconut candies, tomatoes preserved in cane sugar, pumpkin ice cream, Moron torticas (shortbread cookies)… the choice is vast.

Nativa, or the reappropriation of the terroir

Along the buffet and in some of the themed establishments of the hotels, or on special days that are organized there, as was our case at the Gran Muthu Almirante Beach, Playa Pesquero and Brisas Guardalavaca, all three located in the Holguin region, it is quite possible to get acquainted with the local culinary culture. And this, by tasting roasted pig on a spit, stuffed lobster and crab, sugar cane juice and tropical desserts. All accompanied during the day or at night by small groups of musicians and singers who intoxicate us with Cuban jazz and Latin ballads. A feast for the senses.

Tourists can also be guided to state establishments (the Río de Mares, overlooking the fishing port of the magnificent city of Gibara, delighted us) and paladaresprivate restaurants. However, with the exception of a few nice restaurants in Havana, it can be more complex to enjoy truly gourmet Cuban cuisine. That’s what the Nativa movement is changing.

Launched by Gaviota, a state-owned group that owns several hotels in Cuba, Nativa was created a few years ago. Its goals: to safeguard regional culinary traditions, promote the cultivation of local products, encourage the modernization of recipes and, ultimately, promote this new Cuban cuisine to visitors to the island.

Thanks to this initiative, more and more Cuban chefs are being trained in their heritage cuisine, and a fine Cuban gastronomy, respecting the past while freeing itself from it, is emerging on plates and glasses. It is not yet present in many places, but it can be found for example at the Los Almácigos restaurant in Playa Pesquero, run by the talented chef Yoelvis Binimelis Oliveros, originally from Baracoa. He notably had us taste tetistiny fish that are fried,ajiacoa fish resembling snapper covered for the occasion in an elegant coconut milk sauce, a delicate salad of tropical vegetables and bites of chocolate produced in his region.

This memorable moment of indulgence, which has nothing to envy to those that can be experienced at beautiful Quebec tables, foreshadows a bright future for Cuban gastronomy. And we wish it to all Cubans, who have touched us with their innate sense of hospitality, their rich culture, their generosity and their resilience. Long live Cuba !

The journalist would like to thank Air Transat, Muthu Hotels, and especially Gran Muthu Almirante Beach, the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, Gaviota Tours and the Gaviota Group, as well as Cubanacan Hotels, who made all these discoveries possible.

This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.

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