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Part of the excitement of living abroad
is discovering new foods and beverages.
In Cuba you will find your eating habits
will probably change once you have had the
opportunity to savor the native cuisine.
Cuba, like every country in the world, has
its own style of cooking or comida típica.
Cuban dishes are a mixture of Spanish and
African cooking combined with fruits and
vegetables native to the island.
One of the most popular dishes is moros
y cristianos (literally 'Moors and Christians')
consisting of rice and black beans. Picadillo
is a dish made of ground beef and assorted
vegetables. Congrí (rice and kidney
beans) and frijoles dormidos (sleeping
beans) are other popular bean dishes. Arroz
con pollo, chicken and rice, is also
widely consumed. Ajiaco, a type of
rice vegetable stew and a little of everything
else is very tasty. Pollo asado (roast
chicken) and cerdo asado (roast pork)
are also popular dishes. Empanadas which
are pies filled with meat and very good.
Because Cuba is surrounded by the sea,
there is a variety of seafood from which
to choose. One of the most delicious dishes
is sopa marinera. It is a mixture
of different sea foods in a soup base. Lobster,
shrimp, and other varieties such as grouper
and red snapper abound. Chinese and Italian
foods are also part of the Cuban diet.
Cuba has a large selection of tropical
fruits and vegetables which are most often
combined and eaten with other foods. Yucas
(cassava root), ñames (yams) and
chayotes are some of the most common
vegetables. Palmito, palm heart,
is often found in salads.
The most widely consumed fruits are: pineapple,
papaya, guayaba, and bananas.
The latter are used to make plátanos
maduros (fried sweet bananas) and tostones
(fried green banana chips). Fufú
is boiled green bananas mashed into a paste
and seasoned with salt.
Since Cuba produces sugar, it is not surprising
that Cubans have developed a sweet tooth
for a number of sugar based desserts. Most
Cuban desserts are very sweet. Churros
(a type of straight doughnut), are a favorite,
flan (a type of Spanish custard), dulce
de leche, buñuelos and coco
quemado are typical Cuban desserts.
Granizado is a dessert made of shaved
ice with sugary syrup much like a snow cone.
The renowned Coppelia ice cream parlor
serves the best ice cream in Cuba.
If you have a craving for your favorite
food from the States, there are food stores
which already sell U.S. food products for
dollars. Some of the better known brands
available are: Campells Soup, Heinz, Del
Monte, Libby's, Kraft, Bumble Bee, Progreso,
Uncle Ben's, Planters, Gerber, Motts and
Purina to name a few.
Coffee and rum are the two most popular
beverages. It is impossible to talk about
Cuban cuisine without mentioning Cuba's
excellent coffee. It is usually served very
strong and following meals or by itself.
Café cubano is a type of coffee that
is brewed differently and served like expresso
in very small cups with large amounts of
sugar. Café Americano is weaker and
served in a larger cup. Café con leche
is strong black coffee and hot milk.
Refrescos or non alcoholic fruit
water based drinks are found all over. They
are a cross between sweetened fruit juice,
fruit punch or Kool Aid. Guarapo
is a juice made from sugar cane. Tropicola
is the local version of Coke or Pepsi and
most widely consumed soft drink. By the
way, Coke and Pepsi can sometimes be found
here in stores. Fanta or Cuban made
Najita is also readily available.
Rum or ron is the national drink
of Cuba. Both white and dark rum are produced
from sugar cane and molasses. Cuba's abundance
of tropical fruits is combined with rum
to make a variety of exotic cocktails. The
famous daiquiri is made with light rum and
green limes. Mojito is a similar
drink made with rum, lime juice, sugar and
water. The Piña Colada (a pineapple
based drink) and Cuba Libre (rum
and coke with a slice of lime) are also
favorite drinks. Cuba's bartenders are considered
by many to be some of the best in the world.
Beer is another favorite beverage. Hatuey,
Bucanero and Cristal are the
best Cuban beers. Mexican and other foreign
beers like Heineken are imported. You can
also find a few U.S., Mexican and Canadian
beers. A number of wines are imported from
Spain, South America, France and even California.
Most hotels have bars serving a variety
of exotic drinks and offering spectacular
views from their top floors. The bars at
the Hotel Ambos Mundos, Hotel
Plaza, Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel
Nacional should be visited. There are
also other bars worth checking out. Try
Papa's at the Hemingway Marina. The
bar-restaurant La Cecila famous for
its hors d'oeuvres and El Mirador
bar is a scenic terrace bar and a good place
to view the best sunsets in Havana.
There are two special 'watering holes'
deserving special mention. La Bodeguita
del Medio is famous for its legendary
mojitos and being a one time Hemingway
haunt. El Floridita was another Hemingway
hang out and the birthplace of the daiquiri.
The Dos Hermanos Bar is another place
to "wet your whistle." Other cities and
towns have less famous but abundant places
to have a drink.
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