Food

Starters

Caribbean or Creole cuisine is very popular in Cuba for both visitors and locals. Restaurants are gathering places for families and friends. People go out for dinner often. They always start quite late and take about two to three hours. Cubans like to take their time consuming their food, including long breaks for chatting and smoking.

Moros y Cristianos is the national dish and thick soups are also very popular. Fruit juices are an exquisite treat, such as guava, orange, grapefruit, tamarind, and passion fruit either fresh, or made by Taoro, the most famous of Cuban canned juices.

Imaginative desserts include: coco quemado, a coconut pudding; coco rallado y queso, grated coconut with cheese in syrup; brasco gitano, a custard-filled roll; pressed into a cone shape and wrapped in banana leaf; and Helado Coppelia, a brand of ice cream in a variety of fruity flavours. There are Coppelitas (ice cream stalls) everywhere, as well as vans bringing Coppelia far into the countryside.

Snacks, known as "tamales", are available on every street corner. One well-known spot for eating totally Creole food is La Bodeguita del Medio. Many famous artists and authors congregated here in Cuba’s past; it was one of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite restaurants; and the walls are covered with signatures and dates from visitors from all walks of life. La Ferminia is another popular Creole restaurant.

Cuban coffee is available at most bars and roadside stalls. It is drunk very strong, out of tiny cups, often accompanied by ice water. Cuba’s coffee is as famous as its rum and there is a ritual for sipping. Unless one is in a hurry, coffee is mostly taken with friends and followed by tamales or bocadillos (large Cuban sandwiches).