Cuban Cuisine

Cuban cuisine is the result of a combination of mainly Spanish, and African influence but has also been influenced by French and Portuguese cultures. Cuba was both the first and last Spanish colony in the Caribbean and therefore Spanish culture has had an extremely strong influence on Cuban cuisine. Most of the food is prepared with a small number of spices including garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay laurel leaves, and is often sauteed or slow cooked. A common traditional dish consists of a small marinated pig slow cooked over a fire and is often prepared on holidays or special occasions. A number of dishes and foods originated in Africa. Foods including okra, yams, malangas, and various types of bananas were brought from Africa during the colonial period and were introduced into dishes such as tostones and fufu.




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Above is an image of tostones or fried plantains which are a popular side dish for many Cuban meals and can be developed as a result of the introduction of plantains from Africa during the slave trade.The green plantains are fried twice to produce a crispy chip.

 
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FuFu in the picture above is a dish from west Africa that is made from yams. It is a staple in west Africa as well as Cuba.

 



Sources-  http://www.tasteofcuba.com/mariquitas.html
 http://www.congocookbook.com/staple_dish_recipes/fufu.html
 http://www.education.miami.edu/ep/littlehavana/Cuban_Food/Cuban_Cuisine/cuban_cuisine.html
 http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/Cuba.html