Cuba touts gastronomy to boost tourism

[El Presidente]

 

http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2020-01/13/content_75607465.htm

 

HAVANA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cuba aims to lure more foreign visitors by touting its gastronomy, a rich blend of Spanish, Afro-Caribbean and even Asian culinary influences, along with its beaches and historical heritage.

To that end, Cuban authorities eagerly launched a three-day culinary workshop that showcased both the history and evolution of Cuban cuisine. The workshop concluded late Saturday.

Called "Cuba Sabe," which can mean both "Cuba Knows" and "Cuba Tastes," the workshop was organized by Lis Cuesta, wife of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and academic services manager of cultural tourism agency Paradiso.

Diaz-Canel attended the event, as did Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, Culture Minister Alpidio Alonso, and Secretary of the State Council Homero Acosta.

"Our island is dedicated to tourism, but beyond sun and beaches, there is also our people, our history and our cuisine," Cuesta told reporters.

Cuba's culinary culture "is like our national culture, a culture of resistance," Cuesta said, calling for more traditional dishes to be offered at hotel restaurants alongside the international fare.

Each ethnic group that arrived in Cuba, from Africa, Europe and China, enriched the local cuisine with their native ingredients and cooking skills, Cuesta added.

"These types of events are stimulating" because they show "cooking is not just eating and drinking but also a cultural action, a way of introducing ourselves to the world as we are," Jorge Mendez, an official of Tourism Ministry and author of several books on Cuban cuisine, told Xinhua.

"Without fine cuisine, there is no tourism, so we have to promote it, improve it, and make it more pleasant to attract tourists," said Mendez, who is in charge of gastronomy and tourism promotion in the ministry.

It is estimated that 4.5 million foreign tourists will visit Cuba in 2020, 200,000 more than the year before. Enditem

[SCgarman]

How many of those estimated 4.5 million tourists will be Americans? Other than the few Cuban cigar lovers (mostly men) I would venture to say not many. Perhaps they are targeting other countries?

[Nino]

2 hours ago, El Presidente said:

 

"These types of events are stimulating" because they show "cooking is not just eating and drinking but also a cultural action, a way of introducing ourselves to the world as we are," Jorge Mendez, an official of Tourism Ministry and author of several books on Cuban cuisine, told Xinhua.

"Without fine cuisine, there is no tourism, so we have to promote it, improve it, and make it more pleasant to attract tourists," said Mendez, who is in charge of gastronomy and tourism promotion in the ministry.

 

Good luck to Cuba if it does not liberalize the private sector to do it and gives incentives for the ones doing it....

[El Presidente]

46 minutes ago, NYgarman said:

How many of those estimated 4.5 million tourists will be Americans? Other than the few Cuban cigar lovers (mostly men) I would venture to say not many. Perhaps they are targeting other countries?

Cruise ships alone brought in 800,000 passengers in 2018 and that has now largely gone out the window. 

When the US travel embargo was really front and centre, there were still an  estimated 260,000+  Americans a year who ventured to Cuba. Resilient bunch 

Cuba is right now targeting china for tourism in a big way.  From what I hear, it is working in numbers but the spend level in restaurants/stores etal is not there. 

[El Presidente]

1 minute ago, nino said:

Good luck to Cuba if it does not liberalize the private sector to do it and gives incentives for the ones doing it....

Agreed. 

what they can do right now is  get the **** out of the way 

[SenorPerfecto]

Of any country I've visited, "gastronomy" would be the last thing I'd list for Cuba. There essentially is no such thing as "Cuban cuisine."

[Ryan]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

Cruise ships alone brought in 800,000 passengers in 2018 and that has now largely gone out the window. 

When the US travel embargo was really front and centre, there were still an  estimated 260,000+  Americans a year who ventured to Cuba. Resilient bunch 

Cuba is right now targeting china for tourism in a big way.  From what I hear, it is working in numbers but the spend level in restaurants/stores etal is not there. 

 

There are still some cruise ships pulling in to Havana but nothing like it was.

This picture was taken on Saturday from a friend who was at that Cuba Sabe event and took this from the Grand Packard Hotel.

She did say that this was the first cruise ship this year.

Regarding Chinese tourism, many tour companies I know are having a very hard time at the moment in Havana.

Somebody else I know, an ex-pat friend living in Havana, started looking at the Chinese market about a year ago, she was thinking ahead.

As of last November, she was booked out until the end of 2020.

[Corylax18]

1 hour ago, SenorPerfecto said:

Of any country I've visited, "gastronomy" would be the last thing I'd list for Cuba. There essentially is no such thing as "Cuban cuisine."

I agree with the 2nd sentence, its really just a mix of the cuisines listed above, mixed with a heaping helping of "make do with what you've got."

I don't agree with the first sentence though, while high end cuisine isn't jumping out at you from every decrepit building, it is there. You just have to look and be a bit adventurous.  

A few months ago I had the best Lobster I've ever eaten, ever. On a farm in Pinar del Rio. Not one of the popular ones, just a nice, quite, farm. The kitchen didn't even have windows. I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, Michelin Stars, world renowned chefs, the whole 9. I'm of the opinion that the best food in Cuba can stand up to the best in the world. You don't get the same level of service, or the same ambiance. But you can smoke. 

[El Presidente]

11 minutes ago, Corylax18 said:

I'm of the opinion that the best food in Cuba can stand up to the best in the world. You don't get the same level of service, or the same ambiance. But you can smoke. 

Bingo 

You may have trouble finding it  and  when you do it may not be there next month but if you are prepared to put in a little work you will be rewarded in spades.

 

10+ years ago......a different story entirely. 

 

[Fuzz]

Gastronomy or gastroenteritis?

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

Bingo 

You may have trouble finding it  and  when you do it may not be there next month but if you are prepared to put in a little work you will be rewarded in spades.

 

10+ years ago......a different story entirely. 

 

You mean, somewhere in Havana, there is a place where you can get duck that won't require a trip to hospital? Nate will be so happy!

[SCgarman]

15 minutes ago, FrancisK7 said:

In my parts its very well known Cuba is BY FAR the worse Caribbean destination for food so this surprises me. If you're a foodie and food is a priority its the last place I’d go (and Im in Cuba right now).

 

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. 

[El Presidente]

18 minutes ago, FrancisK7 said:

In my parts its very well known Cuba is BY FAR the worse Caribbean destination for food so this surprises me. If you're a foodie and food is a priority its the last place I’d go (and Im in Cuba right now).

 

Since you are there now, get to this thread and enjoy. 

Time is too short to eat poor food!

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/142748-new-paladaresrestaurants-in-havana/?tab=comments#comment-985075

[El Presidente]

18 minutes ago, FrancisK7 said:

In my parts its very well known Cuba is BY FAR the worse Caribbean destination for food so this surprises me. If you're a foodie and food is a priority its the last place I’d go (and Im in Cuba right now).

 

Since you are there now, get to this thread and enjoy. 

Time is too short to eat poor food!

https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/142748-new-paladaresrestaurants-in-havana/?tab=comments#comment-985075

[El Presidente]

5 minutes ago, FrancisK7 said:

Definitely bookmarked the thread for when I visit Havana. But I am in Cayo Cruz now, in a brand new “4.5 stars” hotel, and all that gastronomy is nowhere near. 

I came for the beach, the cigars and the mojitos. Food is okay to good I’d say, but we’re eons away from a michelin experience. 

Yes....it gets a lot more difficult outside of Havana.  it can be appalling. 

In Havana however, it is a different kettle of fish these days. talking about fish, start with Santy and move through the lists from there. 

Report back 

Enjoy the vacation!!!

[blank]

I hear the Duck very good?

 

[Ryan]

7 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Yes....it gets a lot more difficult outside of Havana.  it can be appalling. 

Absolutely, on leaving Havana it gets much more "rustic" very quickly, though there can be surprises.

I have an older friend, around 75, who loves his food, he travels the world now to sample food and wine. He goes to Cuba 6 - 10 times a year for medical reasons. Some members here have met him.

I've never seen anyone appreciate good food as much as he does. On seeing how he eats and how he chooses where to eat I have picked up a few tips, these work not just in Cuba but are handy for Cuba.

Manage your expectations, very few places in Cuba will provide you with three good courses. La Guarida probably, Corte del Principe used to. I can't think of many more. Regarding dessert, unless you really like flan (creme caramel), go for an aged rum and coffee instead.

However there are great dishes to be had, or even parts of dishes. I've watched, more than once, this older guy pick through a piece of red snapper to find the couple of ounces cooked exactly how he likes it. And he loves it, no complaints.

So expect to eat by the plate rather than by the meal and you can eat very very well in Havana.

Some examples

The Marlin Tacos in La Guarida, I will often order these for starter and main. I've never had a dish like it anywhere else.

Tuna dishes in Santys. Ceviche, tataki and sashimi. All brilliant. I rarely eat anything other than raw/partially cooked tuna in Santys and I very rarely order fish in Ireland.

The wood-fired octopus in Casa Nostra.

 The grilled cheese eggplant (berenjena in Corte del Principe)

The salsa in El del Frente

All of these dishes are world class. There are a few others, I'm sure other people would chime in. 

As for hotels, that food is generally gack. I can't think of a single hotel restaurant I'd recommend. Though the hamburger in the Parque Central, well done, is decent enough in a pinch.

Tocamadera will do a better burger though, and have some very good "grown-up" dishes too.

[nKostyan]

The main problem is the quality of their own products, while the sector will develop in private hands it will take a long time. But what is always at hand - seafood and fish, we must start with this. I agree that it is necessary to give free Commerce to the private sector, and high-quality products will gradually appear.

[La_Tigre]

I can say that the hors d’oeuvres served at the Hotel Saratoga for the Partagas event were quite impressive. They served cuban strengths; there were no attempts at culinary duck.

We are fairly simple in looking for experiences though, a good bocadito in interesting company is more satisfying than having a $700 partial bottle of rum stolen by waitstaff at Havana Libre. Even yet....,far more satisfying than the night’s gastronomy offerings...?

[El Presidente]

10 hours ago, Ryan said:

 

Manage your expectations, very few places in Cuba will provide you with three good courses. La Guarida probably, Corte del Principe used to. I can't think of many more. Regarding dessert, unless you really like flan (creme caramel), go for an aged rum and coffee instead.

So expect to eat by the plate rather than by the meal and you can eat very very well in Havana.

 

Spot on Andy. 

I have had one of the best dishes of my life (black ink rice seafood paella) and one of the worst (some cockel and cheese abomination) all at the same lunch. It was the golden days of El Templete!

I miss that haunt in Havana Vieja where you could spend a lazy few hours during the afternoon eating good food, drinking decent wine, smoking cigars while bumping into old mates as they wandered through looking to do the same. 

[El Presidente]

They make 20 a month.  They work together to engineer a liveable income. 

I am assuming you have paid for the buffet as part of your deal. The operators already have your money.  The F&B staff would really prefer you didn't eat in the hotel. No one tips at "all inclusives" and you are taking away from the produce that they are working together to sell on the black market.

That is where your fresh fruit is 

Yes, he likely knows how to cook a steak 

[El Presidente]

1 minute ago, FrancisK7 said:

I actually heard a Quebecer yell at an employee because the hotel ran out of ketchup yesterday.

The Ketchup is at the black market 

Keep tipping for good interactions! I haven't eaten in a cuban hotel for many a year. 

Cuba is an onion and you are peeling the outer layer. the other 100 layers are beyond the scope of this thread 

In short. It is an insidious corrupt system designed to keep the local population cowed by fear and hence under the control of the state. 

 

[Nino]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

It was the golden days of El Templete!

I miss that haunt in Havana Vieja where you could spend a lazy few hours during the afternoon eating good food, drinking decent wine, smoking cigars while bumping into old mates as they wandered through looking to do the same. 

Hey Rob @El Presidente,

same here - I truly miss El Templete, the only state run restaurant that was worth the money.

Any idea from your sources what's the deal or when it will re-open ?
It's been "re-novating" for over 3 years now.... what a joke.

It was a great place and I miss it too.

[El Presidente]

3 minutes ago, nino said:

Hey Rob @El Presidente,

same here - I truly miss El Templete, the only state run restaurant that was worth the money.

Any idea from your sources what's the deal or when it will re-open ?
It's been "re-novating" for over 3 years now.... what a joke.

It was a great place and I miss it too.

Nino, no idea. 

Osiris (Now part owner of El Rum Rum with Carlos) use to be the barman at El Templete.  I asked him the question and he was none the wiser. 

[Habana Mike]

Going to be tough without cooking fuel.....

[SCgarman]

17 minutes ago, Habana Mike said:

Going to be tough without cooking fuel.....

Yeah, good luck cooking that "world class cuisine". ?