Cuba
While rice is common at lunch and dinner in Cuba, breakfast centers on bread, with strong Cuban coffee brewed in an aluminum coffee maker, eggs and fruit. Popular sandwiches include bocaditos, small rolls filled with a paste of ham, peppers and cheese, and Cuban sandwiches filled with roast pork seasoned with mojo garlic sauce. Our plate also included plenty of tropical fruit, tostones made from fried green plantains, and boiled cassava. We offered Cuban drinks and desserts too, including refreshing mojito criollo with mint and lime, rich flan and rum cocktails.
Cuba is a socialist country in the Caribbean with a social system very different from Japan’s. Education, medical care and even housing are described as free, while rationed essentials are available at low prices. Life moves slowly, and people enjoy music and dancing. Yet shortages following the Cuban Revolution and international isolation have also shaped the country: classic cars and old buildings can make its streets feel like a journey back in time. At the time of this feature, Cuba had restored diplomatic relations with the United States the previous year after half a century, and rapid change seemed to lie ahead.
With thanks to
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba
Rolando Speck Blake
Yukari Speck Blake