What Does Traditional Cuban Food - People - HowStuffWorks Do?

Cuban cuisineArroz con pollo (rice with chicken) Cuban cuisine is a mix of African, Spanish, and other Caribbean foods. Some Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish and African cooking, with some Caribbean impact in spice and taste. This results in a mix of the a number of various cultural influences. A small but notable Chinese impact can also be accounted for, primarily in the Havana location.

During colonial times, Cuba was an important port for trade, and many Spaniards who lived there brought their cooking traditions with them. Introduction [modify] As an outcome of the colonization of Cuba by Spain, one of the main influences on the cuisine is from Spain. Other cooking influences consist of Africa, from the Africans who were given Cuba as slaves, and French, from the French colonists who concerned Cuba from Haiti.

Another contributing aspect to Cuban cuisine is that Cuba is in a tropical climate, which produces fruits and root vegetables that are used in Cuban meals and meals. A typical meal consists of rice and beans, cooked together or apart. When prepared together the dish is called "congri" or "Moros" or "Moros y Cristianos" (black beans and rice).

Cuban sandwich [edit] A Cuban sandwich (often called a mixto, especially in Cuba) is a popular lunch product that outgrew the once-open flow of cigar workers in between Cuba and Florida (particularly Secret West and the Ybor City community of Tampa) in the late 19th century and has actually considering that spread to other Cuban American communities.

In Tampa, Genoa salami is traditionally layered in with the other meats, probably due to affect of Italian immigrants who lived side-by-side with Cubans and Spaniards in Ybor City. Tomatoes and lettuce are offered additions in lots of restaurants, but these are thought about by traditionalists as an inappropriate Americanization of the sandwich.