If you were to ever ask a Cuban about their national cuisine, they will tell you that besides a lot of spices, you'll need love, passion and temperament, in order to create a real Cuban dish.
Even though Cubans cook with typical ingredients - beans, rice, potatoes, chicken and pork meat, the taste is a far cry from anything typical.
Let's take a look at some of the most characteristic dishes of Cuban cuisine.
Plain old white beans compete for popularity with congri - red beans. They had specific spices and rice to it. Rice can be found in many combinations and completely substitutes bread, which is not at all prized in Cuba.
Another worthy substitute is bananas. And not the ones you're probably thinking of, but rather, small triangular ones that are salty to the taste.
They call them platanos and can be fried like chips or cooked in other ways. These, along with many typical Cuban cuisine products cannot be found everywhere.
Fridantas, which are basically pork skewers served with rice and spicy tomato sauce, are worth trying. They are much loved by the locals, just like pasta with cheese, meat and vegetables.
Carco mishado is beef stuffed with ham. And since Cuban beans come in a variety of colors - traditionally they are red but there are also white, yellow and even black, they are used to make truly original dishes. The most popular are potaje soup and the congri dish, where the beans are diversified with rice and smoked sausage.
Tasajo is a typical Cuban dish, traditionally prepared from highly spiced ground pork meat. The sauteed chicken with rice "pollo con arroz" is another famous dish, as well as the world famous Cuban langouste with lemon, turtle eggs and meat, and recommended for the boldest taste seekers is sauteed crocodile. By the way, langoustes are a favorite dish of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The Cubans believe that the local national dish, the stew of the aborigines, "ajiaco criollo", is an embodiment of the peculiar Cuban way of life.
It's made with a lot of fruits, vegetables and different meats and ends up thick, with a saturated taste and very filling. So if you ever get the opportunity to visit Cuba be sure to try this magical ajiaco.
Take a look at some other appetizing Cuban recipes: Cuban sandwiches, Cuban style marinated rabbit, Cuban pastry with honey, Cuban cake, Cuban style chicken.
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