Culinary delights from the Isla del Cayman
[Photo by christopherharrison]
Like so many island nations, Cuba’s cuisine shares its heritage which an exciting blend of cultures as traders, colonisers and travellers have made their mark on Cuban history. Caribbean, African and, of course, Spanish influences have fused together to create a culinary delight in Cuban food, with strong and spicy flavours that will leave your taste buds tingling with gastronomic pleasure.
Hot Tamales
[Photo by lucianvenutian]
The food that gave birth to the phrase. Tamales are made from corn-based dough being steamed or boiled and covered with a leaf wrapper before being filled with the maker’s choice of meat, vegetables, cheese or a combination thereof. The daintily wrapped little numbers featured above contain chicken and look divine.
Cubano Sandwich
[Cuban Sandwich by Accidental Hedonist]
Every type of cuisine should have a take on what to put between two slices of bread and Cuban food is no exception. Pork and ham are staples of a good Cubano sandwich, preferably made with the Cubans’ own style of bread.
Sofrito
[Cuban bean soup by kightp]
Sofrito takes on many forms in different types of Latin-American and Spanish influenced cuisines. It usually forms a sauce base to be added to. In Cuban cuisine, Sofrito generally consists of onions, garlic and bell peppers, as it forms the base for Cuban stews, bean and rice based dishes.
Cuban Black Beans
With their strong texture, Cuban black beans provide perfect bite when added to a variety of Cuban dishes such as congri.
[Cuban Congri – Arroz Morro by The Masa AssAssin]
Bunuelos
[El buñuelo perro. diciembre 25. 2006 by jujuly]
Sweet and sugary, these doughy cinnamon balls are glazed in sugar after being rolled to the required size. They can even be shaped into cute animal forms under skilled enough hands, as featured in the photo above. Horse or bunny rabbit? Who knows, but it’s almost too cute to eat!
Ropa Vieja
[dinner1601 by carol.baby]
This hearty shredded beef stew is a national favourite. Ropa Vieja literally translated means “old clothes”… which does not sound too appetising on reflection, but it relates to an old legend where a poor man imbues his love for his starving family by cooking his old clothes so they magically fall apart and transform into the beloved beef stew. Unmissable for newcomers on a Cuba holiday.
Rum cake
[butter-rum-cake ed by SheGotTheBeat]
A thing of enormous beauty I’m sure you’ll agree. This deliciously moist cake is sweetened with Bacardi rum and holes are pricked throughout the cake to allow the glaze to seep into it and be thoroughly absorbed, creating an unforgettable flavour.
Sources:
www.flickr.com
http://bestcubanrecipes.blogspot.com
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