ABOUT CUBAN FOOD

Cuban cuisine has been influenced by Spanish, French, African,
Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese cultures. Traditional Cuban
cooking is primarily peasant cuisine that has little concern with
measurements, order and timing. Most of the food is sauteed or
slow-cooked over a low flame. Very little is deep-fried and there
are no heavy or creamy sauces. Most Cuban cooking relies on a
few basic spices, such as garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay laurel
leaves. Many dishes use a sofrito as their basis. The sofrito consists
of onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, and ground pepper
quick-fried in olive oil. Another common staple to the Cuban diet
are root vegetables such as yuca, malanga, and boniato, which
are found in most Latin markets. 
A typical Cuban breakfast consists of a tostada and cafe con
leche. The tostada is a portion of Cuban bread which is buttered
then toasted on an electric grill. The cafe con leche is a combina-
tion of strong, espresso coffee with warm milk. Additionally, some
may eat ham croquetas,  smoky creamed ham shaped in finger
rolls, lightly breaded, and then fried. For those on the run, with no
time or desire to eat, a shot of cafe cubano, Cuban coffee, will
revive the dead.
Lunch consists of empanadas, chicken or meat turnovers, or
cuban sandwiches. The sandwich could be a media noche
(midnight sandwich), consisting of a slice of pork, ham, and swiss
cheese and then topped with pickles and mustard on sweetened
egg bread. 

Dinner will usually consist of a meat, chicken, or fish dish as
the entree accompanied by white rice, black beans, and maduros
sweet fried plantains. At times, a small salad of sliced tomatos
and onions or avocados might be added to the meal.  The meal is
followed by dessert, such as the typical flan, a Cuban caramel-
favored custard, and another shot of cafe cubano.
For holidays or special occasions, the one dish that typies
Cuban cuisine would be a small pig, marinated with salt, garlic,
and sour orange juice, and then roasted over an open re, and
slowly cooked for several hours. The accompaniments for such a
dish could consist of congri, a white rice and black bean mixture
also known as Moors and Christians, boniato in a garlic dressing,
and maduros. For refreshments, the most typical drinks are the
daiquiri and the mojito. Both are made with lime juice and pure
cane rum.
Danielle Rosario