Influences and Origins

Cuban food has been influenced by several cultures over the decades.  As one of the earliest colonies in the New World, the Island has seen its share of immigrants from all walks of life, as well as the influence on food from African slaves.  [i] These slaves had their own customs and traditions, and their food was gradually incorporated into Cuban cuisine.   One of the most popular Cuban dishes was actually created by the African slaves.  The slaves had invented tostones, they had been fed plantains and bananas, and eventually they had decided to flatten and cook the plantains.  [ii]

Of course the Island had several food items that were “new” to Spanish explorers.  These included “corn, cassava, peanuts, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and peppers” (Phillips, 2008)[iii].  The native peoples of Cuba had eaten these, as well as other crops, and these fruits and vegetables are still apart of Cuban food on some level.  [iv]  The natives had mostly relied on fishing and had a diet of mostly seafood, the land was difficult to farm as the humidity caused store crops to spoil easily.[v] 

As I mentioned before, the Spaniards had brought cattle and pigs to Cuba from Spain, and other immigrants would bring their own food specialties from their homelands.   This mix of different cultures all helped shape Cuban food as we know it today.

---

[i] "Food in Every Country." Food in Cuba. Food by Country, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/Cuba.html>.

[ii] Phillips, Denny . "A History of Cuban Cuisine." Ethnic And International Foods. Culinary Arts 360, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://http://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/a-history-of-cuban-cuisine-27765/>.

[iii] Phillips, Denny . "A History of Cuban Cuisine." Ethnic And International Foods. Culinary Arts 360, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://http://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/a-history-of-cuban-cuisine-27765/>.

[iv] Phillips, Denny . "A History of Cuban Cuisine." Ethnic And International Foods. Culinary Arts 360, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://http://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/a-history-of-cuban-cuisine-27765/>.

[v] Phillips, Denny . "A History of Cuban Cuisine." Ethnic And International Foods. Culinary Arts 360, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://http://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/a-history-of-cuban-cuisine-27765/>.

Black Beans and Rice

While it is a side dish, Black beans and Rice is a very well-known type of Cuban food.  What is interesting is that there are two names for black beans and rice.  First there is the literal name, which is frijoles negroes y arroz.  The other name is “Moros y Cristianos”, which means Moors and Christians[i].   It is believed this name came about when Spain was occupied by the Moors, the rice represents the Christians and the black beans represent the Moors[ii].   Now that is probably more than a little racist but given that the name came about in the middle ages that should be expected.  Interestingly enough, black beans and rice is commonly served at a Spanish festival called “The Feast of Saint George”, which celebrates the “Reconquista”.[iii]  The Reconquista was the period of fighting between Muslims and Spaniards for the control of the Iberian Peninsula. [iv]

                Black beans themselves are native to the New World so it was easy to cultivate the beans. [v] Rice however was brought to the New World by Spanish explorers. However Rice was not cultivated until immigrants had arrived from India and China.[vi]  No one really thinks about Asian influence on Cuban food, but rice was one of the more “exotic” food types in that it was not native to Cuba, and it was not brought over from Spain.   I will talk a little more about the influences of different cultures on Cuban food in my next post. 

               

---

[i] Rodriguez , Hector. "Moros y Cristianos - Black Beans & White Rice." About.com Latin Caribbean Food. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://latinfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/morosycristiano.htm/>.

[ii] Rodriguez , Hector. "Moros y Cristianos - Black Beans & White Rice." About.com Latin Caribbean Food. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://latinfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/morosycristiano.htm/>.

[iii] "Moros y Cristianos: Cuban Black Beans and Rice | Choosy Beggars." Choosy Beggars. N.p., 8 Oct. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2008/10/08/moros-y-cristianos-cuban-black-beans-and-rice/>.

[iv] "Moros y Cristianos: Cuban Black Beans and Rice | Choosy Beggars." Choosy Beggars. N.p., 8 Oct. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2008/10/08/moros-y-cristianos-cuban-black-beans-and-rice/>.

[v] Filippone, Peggy . "Black Bean History." About.com Home Cooking. About.com, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/blkbeanshistory.htm>.

[vi] Houston, Lynn Marie. Authentic Cuban cuisine. (WestPort, CT.: Greenwood Press, 2005). 63

Vaca Frita and Ropa Vieja

I am going to start off by talking about two similar dishes, Ropa Vieja and Vaca Frita.  Both of them are prepared primarily, but Vaca Frita is fried meat, as opposed to Ropa Vieja, which is just boiled in a pot. 

The first of these dishes that I am going to talk about is Ropa Vieja.  The name Ropa Vieja means “old clothes”, because the food itself looks torn, like old clothes.    Ropa Vieja originates from Spain, but technically it came from the Canary Islands, not the Spanish mainland. [i]  The citizens of the Canary Islands would often immigrate to Cuba and they would bring aspects of their culture, including their food along with them.  [ii]  This is one of the many Spanish inspired foods that make up Cuban cuisine and it makes sense that Spanish settlers would bring their staple foods such as beef and pork along with them to the new world.  

                Ropa Vieja, is made from flank steak and then the meat is shredded and then boiled.  [iii] It is usually cooked along with green peppers and onions to add flavor.

                Vaca Frita is also prepared very similarly, except that as I mentioned, it is fried after it is initially cooked.   The meat is also marinated before it is cooked with garlic, olive oil and lime. [iv] Both dishes are usually served at lunch or dinner.

---

[i] "Vaca Frita: Authentic Cuban Food with History." Agozar Cuban Bistro Blog Bowery NYC. Agozar:Cuban Bistro Bar, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://agozarnyc.com/blog/2012/08/09/vaca-frita-authentic-cuban-food-with-history/>.

[ii] "Vaca Frita: Authentic Cuban Food with History." Agozar Cuban Bistro Blog Bowery NYC. Agozar:Cuban Bistro Bar, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://agozarnyc.com/blog/2012/08/09/vaca-frita-authentic-cuban-food-with-history/>.

[iii]  Cortina, Martha Abreu. Authentic Cuban cuisine. (Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub., 2011) 137-140.

[iv]  Cortina, Martha Abreu. Authentic Cuban cuisine. (Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub., 2011) 137-140.

The History of Cuban food

     For this project I will be examining various types of Cuban food and I will write about the history of these types of food.  I will be asking questions such as "What influenced the creation of this particular dish?"  What are the staples of Cuban food? "Why is this type of food served at certain times of the day?" "What methods are usually used to cook this food?” When did Cubans start eating this particular type of food?  And lastly, how has this type of food changed? (If it indeed has changed).

     The sources that I will use will include cookbooks and online articles.