WHERE'S ALL THE CUBAN.....FOOD?

[Natedog]

I'm a chef... IM A FOOD FREAK. I love all/most foods and food related everything. So I have been going through the char czar top to bottom and with the exception of the post about best meal ever to witch a few of your replies were restaurants or meals in Havana, there aren't any post regarding the glorious food from this little island. No cerdo asado (roast pork with mojo), ropa vieja, tostones, maduros, moros y cristianos, media noche, cubano, mofongo and the list goes on. So my question for all my cc smoking friends here is... Do you cook Cuban? The flavors are big and bold and pare so well with puros. I would love to see some pics and recipes of what you are cooking cuban.

[Vcool]

I'm a fan of picadillo de la habana ever since I had it for easter in Cuba about a decade ago. Meat, olives, sauce mmm.

[Guest rob]

Pork, rice and beans.

And lots of chicken.

Simple, wholesome, unpretentious food.

[Natedog]

I know I'll take some flak for this, but in general, Cuban food is not all that inspiring or interesting.

SHLOMO SHLOMO SHLOMO. Uninspiring? Really? I guess everyone has the right to their own opinion but I can't imagine eating the crust of a slow roasted pork shoulder marinated in cumin, sofritto, sour orange that's literally jumping off the plate with flavor and texture as uninspiring. Or shrimp mofongo! Soo many awesome awesome dishes. But maybe that's just me.

[Skyfall]

I know I'll take some flak for this, but in general, Cuban food is not all that inspiring or interesting.

Pork, rice and beans.

There is a reason why finding a good Cuban restaurant outside of the Island is not easy. I am a strong believer that the food in Cuba tastes better than it really is just because of the environment or the company or the fact that you are on vacation while eating it...

Yes, yes, some of you will post and say I have never had this dish or that dish, or that I am missing out on great food if I have not had a meal at X resto in Havana or in a Cuban friend's kitchen....be that as it may, it is just my opinion on a general perspective of the food on the Island and nto a reflection of some great meals I have had there myself....just in general.

^This

Not exciting , fairly boring to me. It's good food, but not something I would ever actively pick over other cuisines.

However, I do eat authentic Mexican food no less than 5-6 meals a week!

[Skyfall]

SHLOMO SHLOMO SHLOMO. Uninspiring? Really? I guess everyone has the right to their own opinion but I can't imagine eating the crust of a slow roasted pork shoulder marinated in cumin, sofritto, sour orange that's literally jumping off the plate with flavor and texture as uninspiring. Or shrimp mofongo! Soo many awesome awesome dishes. But maybe that's just me.

Why cover up good pork with such shenanigans ????

[Natedog]

Why cover up good pork with such shenanigans ????

I know your kidding around! I do believe that some of you folk down dem der in Texas like to add a lot of stuff to your meat. Especially your authentic Mexican.

Since you brought it up and you enjoy it so much...what authentic mexican food do you enjoy to eat?

[Skyfall]

I know your kidding around! I do believe that some of you folk down dem der in Texas like to add a lot of stuff to your meat. Especially your authentic Mexican.

Since you brought it up and you enjoy it so much...what authentic mexican food do you enjoy to eat?

I'm not kidding, most people who know Texas BBQ know that the foundation of its regional variation is minimalism. No matter if it's beef, pork ect., minimalist is the key. Most of the top BBQ joints don't even allow sauce of any kind to be served.

Today for lunch I had a Taco Plate with rice and beans, fried yucca fritters and an added venison tamale.

3 Tacos:

Braised Tongue (lingua)

Roasted Barbacoa ( cow head)

Grilled Quail with salsa verde

[Natedog]

Yeah I know Texas BBQ. My pit is made by david klose but there is plenty of heavily spiced food in Texas. What's really the most interesting thing about your comment is that Mexican foods have so any similarities to cuban with the exception that cuban food isn't spicy.

Oh by the way... How were your yucca fritters? You might not know this but them der critter fritters are....cuban.

[Skyfall]

Yeah I know Texas BBQ. My pit is made by david klose but there is plenty of heavily spiced food in Texas. What's really the most interesting thing about your comment is that Mexican foods have so any similarities to cuban with the exception that cuban food isn't spicy.

Oh by the way... How were your yucca fritters? You might not know this but them der critter fritters are....cuban.

Most Latin cuisines feature yucca fritters, Mexican, Dominican ect. Yucca Fritters are most commonly associated with El Salvadorian cuisine.

Same with plantains, black beans and many more.

[Cohiba Stevie]

Interesting topic...

When I was in Havana, I found SOME of the food was fantastic, like the steak I had at the Parque Central was a nice slab of Canadian ribeye, the sauces and sides were also good. On the other hand the meal I had at the Nacional wasn't fit for consumption and it was the most expensive meal of the trip! La guardia was nice but to be honest it's slightly over-rated in my opinion.

other than that all I found was poorly prepared, under flavoured and generally uninspiring food in Cuba.

When I was at an all inclusive in varadero my only comfort was there was a lot of it and a decent selection so I didn't go hungry. But it was total crap.

My opinion is that: yes you can get great food in Cuba if you look in the (very limited) right places... But if your going on a trip thinking it will be an odyssey of fantastic cuisine and newly discovered flavours you will ultimately be disappointed, it's not Paris, it's not Rome, it's not Tokyo or New York...

But if you like booze, cigars, sunshine, fantastic people, and a great atmosphere...

Then there's no place like Cuba.

[Vcool]

Authentic cuban food in cuba differs greatly from the flavourful cuban food you find outside of cuba.

[Guest rob]

Absolutely. But like I said, boring as well. To me at least.

Oh, c'mon Shlo.... Its only because us body builders ( )get over having to eat the same foods over and over, in high quantities.

Mind you, in all seriousness.... it's crazy they have minimal cattle there. Just ludicrous.

[Natedog]

It's interesting how a topic can take on a life of its own. The point I was "trying" to make was that members of this forum should also cook Cuban food. I guess that I thought you just would. It appears as if you enjoy grilling a lot of food, making skewers, stir frying yakisoba, bbq and more but after reading some of the post here it appears that most of you aren't very interested in cuban food or at the bare minimum enjoy cooking and eating many other cuisines more. Fare enough. I guess in a indirect way I'm in the same boat...in a sense. I don't live near calle ocho and Vegas is not flooded with ex pats making killer Cuban food. The pickings are slim. So I don't have much to choose from and if I want killer Yucca fritters (the Cuban ones not El Salvadorians) I need to make them my self. So next time I break out my caja china I will post some pics and add some recipes. Who knows maybe a few of you might get inspired to give it a try and maybe one day you might say shenanigan marinated pork is good eats! Or maybe not.

[LGC]

Don't just criticize. Educate us. Show us the pics and recipes.

Grilled steak, grilled lobster, roast chicken, roast pork, stewed beans, rice, yucca, plantains, fritters, meat mixed with pork skin, Cuban sandwiches... inspire us with the details.

[Natedog]

Don't just criticize. Educate us. Show us the pics and recipes.

So next time I break out my caja china I will post some pics and add some recipes. Who knows maybe a few of you might get inspired to give it a try.

First off if I came across as critical in my post I apologize. That was not my intent. And I agree about making these recipes and posting them! I will post some pics and recipes soon. I hope you enjoy them.

[bolivr]

Thanks for starting the topic it's a good question. Personally I enjoyed the food in Cuba apart from the fried chicken at the baseball which looked like two week old road kill. Lol. I still ate it much to my buddy s disgust.

The one dish my wife and I like to cook at home now is the black bean which is tangy and sweet and includes onion and capsicum. These beans, roast chicken and rice to me make a fine meal.

[Cohiba Stevie]

Don't just criticize. Educate us. Show us the pics and recipes.

Grilled steak, grilled lobster, roast chicken, roast pork, stewed beans, rice, yucca, plantains, fritters, meat mixed with pork skin, Cuban sandwiches... inspire us with the details.

What he said...

[Skyfall]

I'd love to see some pics and recipes too, this is what this thread and this forum is all about. Sharing and educating. I've never reflected on my love for Cuban Cigars to go hand in hand that I must love all things Cuban as well. Just as I love Scotch Whiskey, doesn't mean I love Haggis. To me my passion for this hobby is more about the "cigar" than it is about the "Cuba". I prefer many other Rums over Cuban Rum, likewise with Coffee.

I am curious about this question, maybe someone can chime in with some prospective. I've traveled all over the Caribbean and Latin America regions, and it seems that, at least in regard to the Caribbean Islands, most, if not all of the beef served is sourced from either the Dominican Republic or Canada. It all also seems to be horrible grass fed nonsense. (I could start a whole new thread on my thoughts towards grass fed beef, but I won't). Where does Cuba source their beef from?

I pose this question because it has never made sense to me for the Caribbean Islands to not source their meat from the very high quality available to them from the close proximity of South America. South America has some great beef, and it is geographically close to the area, (closer than Canada). This has always been an enigma to me and I'm curious where Cuba sources their beef from.

[Natedog]

I'd love to see some pics and recipes too, this is what this thread and this forum is all about. Sharing and educating. I've never reflected on my love for Cuban Cigars to go hand in hand that I must love all things Cuban as well. Just as I love Scotch Whiskey, doesn't mean I love Haggis. To me my passion for this hobby is more about the "cigar" than it is about the "Cuba". I prefer many other Rums over Cuban Rum, likewise with Coffee.

Thats a good point your making and I suppose it was assumptive on my part to believe when I started reading through Char Czar that I would find some Cuban cooking, but I really did think I would find something. Its the same with anything one enjoys in life, there are NO set rules one must follow. You can love Cuban cigars and not care for cuban cuisine. I am a little shocked that you like scotch but not haggis (hahaha). Anyways...moving forward I will do my best to be an ambassador for Cuban cuisine here in FOH although it is not the style of cooking I do the most of (Italian,Mexican,Thai,American) but you will see some for sure.

[khomeinist]

I used to date a woman from Honduras. She taught me how to marinate pork shoulder using cumin, citrus, cilantro, etc. I strongly support this type of marination. Texas. BBQ. Blah blah. There are many ways to impart great flavor into meat.

No I do not put sauce on my CITY MARKET (Luling) or Smittys brisket.

[Skyfall]

I used to date a woman from Honduras. She taught me how to marinate pork shoulder using cumin, citrus, cilantro, etc. I strongly support this type of marination. Texas. BBQ. Blah blah. There are many ways to impart great flavor into meat.

No I do not put sauce on my CITY MARKET (Luling) or Smittys brisket.

Haha...

What about Black's BBQ?

[khomeinist]

Snows!

Haven't done Blacks. Will do.

You had the Wagyu brisket at Pecan Lodge?

[CanuckSARTech]

I always take it with a grain of salt whenever someone says Cuban food is bland, just this this and this, don't go to Cuba for the food, etc., etc.

Is it the greatest food on earth? Nope.

But I find Cuban food, and most true "traditional" home-grown Caribbean foods, are very "minimalist". It's about freshness and availability of the ingredients. About making dishes in the here and now, and not just popping in some pre-processed foodstuffs into the microwave or deep fryer or quick oven.

I find our North American / westernized diet is all about sauce and spices, stuff that's added to food, ketchup, seasonings, MSG, extra spicy this and that, and so on. So, for most people who are accustomed to living on PB&J, Kraft Dinner and ketchup, and bold pastas and sauces, some Cuban and Caribbean dishes are very bland, boring, unappealing, etc.

My wife, Erin, is one of the picky-ist eaters I know. When we went on our first trip to Cuba together in 2008, and similarly before that when we went on our honeymoon to St. Lucia in 2006, lots of people said "you don't go there for the food", bring ketchup, bring your own salt and pepper, etc., etc. While I don't necessarily disparage that (and I have brought seasoning salt on occasion to other trips), I find that's not travelling with an open mind for the appeal of the local dishes.

True, lots of people's experiences in Cuba are limited to their knowledge of their food at their all-inclusive resort's buffet line. I liken that to an overseas visitor coming to North America, and unexperienced in hamburgers, bases their opinion based on the microwaved/steamed luxury of McDonald's or White Castle hamburgers, rather than a true BBQ'd piece of home-made beef glory. And there's even people out there that I've experienced before who have crowed that it's horrible, blah, blah, blah, but when questioned, they've either never ever ate off of a resort, or more shockingly, haven't even been to the island itself ("Oh, well, that's what I've heard anyways").

Some of the greatest meals I've had have been in Cuba. El Templete always is enjoyable and surprised me this last time with Nino's suggestion of the baby eels. Prado 309 / La Terraza had the greatest leg of lamb I've ever enjoyed. El Aljibe is caribbean chicken & orange deliciousness.

To each his own, but I find that people's opinions of Cuban (and some Caribbean) foods are really swayed by what they've had and where.

[CanuckSARTech]

And here's a recipe that had received and typed out and modified to suit my wife and I, after a past trip, and getting a local recipe (can't remember where or who we got it from now). It isn't really traditional I don't believe, but it's definitely unique and is amazing if you use very fresh ingredients:

GRILLED SHRIP WITH WATERMELON GLAZE

2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh ginger [or 1 tsp (5 ml) dried]

2 tbsp (30 ml) minced fresh lemongrass [or 1 tsp (5 ml) dry shredded]

¼ cup (60 ml) extra dry vermouth

2 tsp (10 ml) soy sauce, or to taste

1 cup (250 ml) watermelon puree

½ cup (125 ml) sugar

2 lb (900 g) skewered raw shrimp

Make the glaze by heating the oil in a 2 or 3 litre saucepan over medium high heat, and in it, sauté the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass for a few minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in vermouth, soy sauce, watermelon, and sugar. Divide the resulting mixture in two, setting aside one half for serving as glaze/drizzle. Use the other half for basting or marinating the raw shrimp. Grill shrimp.

NOTE: do not mix liquid from the two halves, to avoid contaminating the glaze/drizzle.

Makes enough glaze for 2 lbs (900 g) of grilled shrimp.