Cuban cuisine is a mix of Spanish, African and Tainos Indian cuisine and includes recipes, spices and cooking derived from the three cultures. This produces an interesting mix that tends to be simple, with fresh vegetables, fruits, cassava, beans, grilled meats and fish. In Cuba, rice and beans are an essential ingredient, along with chicken, pork and beef, as in the more traditional Spanish and Mexican foods, but the groups and cooking methods vary.

Legendary author Ernest Hemingway spent years in Cuba writing and enjoying local cuisine before the overthrow of dictator Fidel Castro in 1959, closing one of America's favorite vacation spots. But Cuban cuisine thrives in South Florida, and the adventure at Kobe Restaurant looking for fish tacos, chicken enchilada or shrimp burrito is a futile exercise. You will not find them, unless they are largely American. What you will find is authentic Cuban food, full of spices, a base of rice, black beans and some wonderful dishes that contain bananas and other tropical fruits. A sample of what tops the procession of indigenous success:

The national dish of Cuba: Ropa Vega (shredded steak at the base of the tomato sauce), black beans, yellow rice, fried yuca and banana, washed with cold local beer;

Arroz Con Pollo (rice with chicken) is definitely second, as it is essential;

Moroccans and Christians: black beans and rice.

Fried Banana: Recessive side dish. (Mature plants contain almost black husks, so do not let this throw you down);

Tuna in hot tomato sauce Tuna (bonito) and abundant in Cuba;

Yuca (Cassava) is an alternative to potato starch;

Sofrito: Basic tomato sauce added to meat or rice dishes.

So: (custard bread) popular candy, as in Mexico;

Helado de Mango: Tropical Mango Sherbet;

Aceitunas Alinadas: Almatad olives;

Anselada Kubana Tepeka: (Cuban salad) Fresh lettuce and tomatoes

Their most popular and essential spices are available almost everywhere in the United States, including Gulf lorel, oregano, coriander, cumin and pepper. Many sauces have a tomato base.

In Cuba banana and banana bananas make up 47% and 24% respectively of domestic production and are grown only for domestic consumption. Other tropical fruits produced in Cuba are mango, papaya, pineapple, avocado and guava. The walnut nut has never been caught in the United States because we prefer our bananas, and the banana has a sweeter taste, and is usually used in cooking rather than just raw. It is an acquired taste of certainty, which most Americans have never acquired.

Cuban cuisine can be a friend of plants, given its liberal use of beans, rice, vegetables and fruits, but do not expect to ask tofu or any other alternative to protein. The majority of Cuban people are poor, so local food can be very limited without the addition of meat, fish or birds. However, do not let this prevent you from enjoying some warm sauces, salads and rice dishes. Yuca is a common starch like corn, but not in the form of a typical tortilla as in Mexican food. (And make sure you will not find any corn bread with butter or silent pups, also made of corn.)

Although many countries may speak the same Spanish language, this does not in any way guarantee that they are eaten for similar foods. So you can go out and expand your repertoire by exploring Cuban cuisine if you see the opportunity, and not go to compare it to our favorite Mexican food. Havana does not have fast food restaurants, but if that happens, you can be sure that Taco Bell will not be among them.