“Make sure you bring some salt with you to Cuba, the food is very unseasoned and bland.”
“Don’t forget to pack some hot-sauce, the food is seriously lacking in flavour!”
These were the words of recommendations we received from friends and family while planning our trip to Cuba. Unfortunately, one of the hot topics surrounding this country is how dreadful the food is! In fact, lots of of the questions we received from readers upon our return were all about the cuisine – “What’s the food like? Is it as bad as people say?”
It’s true, if you’re a hardcore foodie, you may be disappointed by the food on offer, or if you eat at the all-inclusive resorts, or at the State-run restaurants. and I’ll be the first to agree that the variety of snack foods available are seriously lacking.
This photo desperately needs polarizing, but you get the picture – empty shelves.
But, here’s the secret to enjoying the food in Cuba…
Eat at the casa particulares! These homestays offer fantastic, authentic food that will absolutely satisfy your cravings. For $7 – $10, you’ll have a table full of food (so much that you won’t be able to eat it all), which normally comes with fresh fruit juice, and sometimes, a cocktail.
In 1993, Cuban people were allowed to open up small, family run services called paladares (prior to that, it was illegal). Although this sounds like a good thing, there were many stipulations attached to the restaurants that they were allowed to open, including who they could hire, the number of seats available and the amount/type of products they could sell.
That didn’t leave a whole lot of room for imagination and creation of meals! Luckily, all of that changed in 2010, and things have become even better considering that 2014, with 9,000 previously State-run restaurants being privatized.
These days, Cubans can own their own businesses, which is good news for travellers as there are some seriously good cooks in the country. besides eating at the casas, there are lots of excellent restaurants popping up, serving local and international cuisine.
Still not convinced that the food in Cuba is delicious? check out our 7 much-loved meals from our recent travels there:
Enchilado de la Casa
This snapper fish was sautéed in white white wine and a spicy red sauce, which had a great kick to it. The fish was cooked perfectly and flaked apart easily. The meal was accompanied by a salad, black beans and rice, as well as the fried plantain chips on the plate. At the end of our trip, this was still my much-loved meal during our travels in Cuba!
Check it out at Paladar Dona Eutimia in Havana. This restaurant is always busy and reservations are necessary. This meal cost $9.
Ropa Vieja
This is the most popular dish in Cuba, which literally translates to “Old Clothes!” Although old clothes might not sound all that appetizing, I can assure you that this dish of shredded beef or lamb is fantastic. The meat is stewed in a tomato sauce with green peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro and cumin and is typically served with rice. We actually had some leftovers one time and made sandwiches with it the next day – highly recommended. This meal came with rice, beans, salad and the fried plantains on the plate.
Ropa Vieja is found all over Cuba, but this particular picture is also from Paladar Dona Eutimia in Havana. This meal cost $8, but can be found elsewhere in the country for much less.
Spaghete bolognese
Italian food is popular around Cuba – some of it is done really well, while other attempts completely fail! This spaghetti, however, was incredible. The owner of the restaurant lived in Italy and does a great job with all of the pastas here.
Check out El Olivo restaurant in Viñales. The pastas range from $4 – $6.
Coada de homar
Fresh seafood is abundant in Cuba! Nick had 2 lobster tails with rice, sautéed vegetables, garlic potatoes and tomatoes, complete with fruit for dessert, a daiquiri cocktail, and coffee at the end of the meal. The whole meal was $12.
Tamales
We recently shared our food experience making tamales in Mexico on Expedia, and although the tamales visualized here from Trinidad weren’t as good as the ones we made from scratch in Valladolid, they still did the trick (especially after a few beers!) The corn flavour was perfect, the density of the dough was good and the tomato sauce on top was a great touch.
Check out Taberna La Botija, which is open 24 hours. delighted hour is from 4:00 – 6:00 with cocktails and tapas being 25% off. These tamales were only $1.15.Coaste de porc
Tavernele sunt răspândite în Cuba și sunt un loc minunat pentru a auzi muzică live, a bea și a mânca mâncare bună. Am cumpărat aceste tapasuri de coaste de multe ori în timpul șederii noastre în Trinidad. Carnea a căzut literalmente din os, iar ceapa și sosul de usturoi stropit deasupra a fost perfecțiunea.
Consultați Taberna La Botija, care este deschis 24 de ore. Ora încântată este de la 4:00 – 6:00, cu cocktail -uri și tapasuri fiind de 25% reducere. Această placă de coaste de porc a costat 2,65 USD.
Pui înăbușit
Această masă a fost pregătită la Casa noastră din Viñales (Casa Boris și Mileidi) și a fost perfecțiune! Puiul era atât de fraged și plin de aromă, iar însoțirile de cartofi, salată, orez și fasole, chipsuri de plantane de casă, piure de mango și brânză cheddar proaspătă a fost perfectă. Masa a costat 7 dolari și am fost umpluți!
Te -am răzgândit?!
Dacă știți la ce restaurante să mâncați și dacă probați mesele gătite acasă la CASA, veți fi cu adevărat mulțumiți de mâncarea din Cuba. Cu toate acestea, dacă aveți un buget foarte strict sau mâncați doar la restaurante sau stațiuni de înaltă calitate, este posibil să vă aflați dezamăgiți de mâncarea oferită.
În experiența noastră personală, putem raporta sincer că ne -am bucurat în aproape tot ce am mâncat în timpul călătoriilor noastre în Cuba. Cred că este sigur să spunem că puteți lăsa sarea și sacul fierbinte acasă.
Pentru mult mai multe articole despre călătoria noastră de backpacking în Cuba, consultați:
Planificarea unei călătorii în Cuba: lista de activități înainte de călătorie (actualizată mai 2015)
La revedere Guatemala, hei acolo Cuba! Călătoria noastră de la Lacul Atitlan la Havana
Havana, Cuba-Ar putea fi acesta noul nostru oraș mult iubit?
Găsirea adevăratei Cuba în Viñales
Ai fost la Cuba? Ce părere ai despre mâncarea de acolo? Spune -ne despre asta?
Imi place? Ia! ?
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