Cuban Cuisine :: Cuban Food

Cuban CuisineCuban cuisine has been influenced by Spanish, French, African, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese cultures. toyventional Cuban cooking is primarily peasant cuisine that has little fearfulness 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 ar no heavy or creamy sauces. Most Cuban cooking relies on a few basic spices, such(prenominal) as garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay medallion leaves. Many dishes use a sofrito as their basis. The sofrito consists of onion, green black pepper, garlic, oregano, and ground pepper quick-fried in olive oil. The sofrito is what gives the food its flavor. It is used when cooking black beans, stews, numerous union dishes, and tomato-based sauces. Meats and poultry are usually marinated in citrus juices, such as lime or sour orange juices, and accordingly roast over low heat until the meat is tender and literally go off the bone. Another commo n staple to the Cuban diet are root vegetables such as yuca, malanga, and boniato, which are found in close Latin markets. These vegetables are flavored with a marinade, called mojo, which includes hot olive oil, lemon juice, part raw onions, garlic, cumin, and little water.A typical Cuban breakfast consists of a tostada and coffeehouse 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 confederacy of strong, espresso coffee with warm milk. Cubans break the tostada into pieces, then dunk them into the cafe con leche, as Americans would dunk their doughnuts into their coffee. Additionally, some may eat ham croquetas, smoking 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 sweet-flavored egg bread. The pan con bistec is a thin slice of palomilla steak on Cuban bread garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, and fried potato sticks. One may withal order a side of mariquitas, thinly sliced plantain chips, to heed their hearty sandwich.