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Cuban Traditional Cuisine By: Zogelis Torres Aborigen Legacy Our eating habits begin to arise in the pre-Columbian era, being the aborigines who made their first contributions. A lot of foods were grown in these lands at that time such as: corn, wild malanga, peanuts, pepper, sweet potato, pumpkin, several types of beans, mainly “caballero” and “carita” beans. Natives also cultivated a variety of cassava from which they produced the cassave, which formed the bedrock of their diet. Existed various fruits among them: papaya, mamey, hicacos, pineapple, coconut, guanabana, guava, medlar, cashew, anon, caimito and the acid tamarind. Besides, in the archipelago there were different species of wildlife, for example: hutia, almiquíes, manjuaríes, majaes, manatees, turtles, oysters, rombifer crocodile, ducks and their eggs, crabs and mollusks, from which were fed the inhabitants. Iguanas and other reptiles were regarded as special delicacies that were reserved for tribal leaders. They consumed many species of fish and crustaceans like: mojarras, bassoons, stingrays, lobsters, wreckfish, beaked and snappers. Biajacas and jicoteas, among other species, were very abundant in the rivers. Aborigines used to make some preparations from the products mentioned above, some of them persist up to date. Cassave, ajiaco and roast in plectrum are examples of the legacy they left us. Later, during the early years of conquest and colonization, the aborigines contributed significantly to the diet of the Spaniards, letting them know all of these foods they had. Besides, they learned from the "indocubanos" some ways to cook and store food, for example the drying of fish and meat, for that purpose they used a kind of grill above fire they called barbecue. In turn, the Spanish conquerers brought to “the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen ": poultry, cattle, horses, pigs, rabbits, donkeys, coffee, sugarcane, other legumes, bananas, rice, oranges, lemons, favoring the variety of food on the island. African Influences When the slaves from various regions of Africa arrived to the country, there was an increase of the variety of dietary habits, due to changes they or their descendants made to the different Mediterranean dishes and to the creation of new ones, using various forms of preparation and cooking of products. From that continent we received: yams, okra, the guinea fowl, though it is valid to emphasize that these products were introduced to the island by the merchants on their ships. From the african culture came to us the custom of eating rice mixed with other foods, sauces and fried foods and also dishes like fufu and tostones (green banana to punching or Chatinos). By the seventeenth century, the number of slaves increased a lot and for keeping them fed, the owners of the allocations decided to systematize the importation of tasajo, cod and rice. Even today there are many Cubans who like these products. The slaves daily consumed large amounts of sugar, either by absorbing the juice from the sugarcane directly in the field or by eating the intermediate products of sugar production as the guarapo, the honey bleed or the scrape and finally the sugar; for that reason in our days we have the taste for very sweet desserts. Spain Influences In turn, cereals from other lands were imported such as wheat (the flour) and oats, as well as a lot of seasonings such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cumin, as well as herbs like garlic and onions, followed by parsley, marjoram, basil and coriander. In the early centuries of the colony, Spaniards came to Cuba, mostly from the south of the peninsula. They were friteros, who reinforced this habit in the country. Later the large Catalan influx strengthened the consumption of rice. Spaniards arrived from all regions in the early twentieth century, publicizing a great number of  Spanish recipies. However, the Creole Cubans were removing from those recipes some ingredients for example: from the fabadas and Galician broths were excluded bacon, sausages and cabbage leading to the Cubans stews. In turn, it was decreasing the use of pepper and other spicies to make the dishes most digestible and adaptable to our climate. Our traditional cuisine was formed, little by little, through the years; by removing, replacing, mixing and adding new ingredients to create, new flavours, textures and colours. The best known European dishes were expatriated and it was emerging a natural cuisine, authentically Cuban and highly creative, with few species, among which are the marjoram and cumin and predominates the sofrito (lightly fried onion, garlic etc). Other Influences From the Asian food we also received some of their secrets. In the mid-nineteenth century, a big number of Chinese workers came to the island, to carry out agricultural, commercial and domestic jobs. They settled down in communities after finishing their terms of employment and unveiled many of its traditions, including culinary ones. Nowadays, there are many Cubans who like the desserts and the Chinese food in general. We also received the influence of the Caribbean; for example although the congrí is Cuban, the term comes from Haiti, where the red beans are known as kongo and the rice as “riz” (like in French). The congrí is not equivalent of Moors and Christians, as usually said, the last one is made from black beans. In short, at the beginning Cuban cuisine was widely influenced by Aborigines, African and Spanish ones and to a lesser extent by Chinese, American, French, Italian and Mexican ones, which can be perceived in some regions of the country. All over the years, the Cuban cuisine has continued changing and adapting to the circumstances of each historical moment. It’s already spoken of the New Cuban Cuisine (Nouvelle Cuisine Cubaine in French), which applies and recreates new trends prevailing at the international level, but never forget our roots, character and cuban spirit, which is what makes it authentic and unique in the world.