Havana Culinary Tour 2018: Discovering Cuba through its cuisine

When visitors share their thoughts about Cuba, usually they talk about the warmth of its people, the mix of the old and the new architecture, the feeling of traveling back in time in a marvelous convertible car, or the beauty of its cities and beaches, but last October a group of Americans traveled to Cuba to discover other side of the culture of the biggest island in the Caribbean: the Cuban Cuisine.

 

From October 13th to 19th, a group of American foodies involved in the culinary world visited a variety of paladares (privaterestaurants) to enjoy the most authentic Cuban flavors on a People-to-people trip under the auspice of ProximityCuba. They were drawn by the culinary boom experienced by the country in the last couple of years and by the unique way in which Cubans blend their culture with their cuisine.

“Which are the paladares that you can´t miss in a visit to Cuba?”, this was the first question that ProximityCuba team asked itself in the process of coordinating the first Culinary Tour in Havana with not just the best, but the most meaningful culinary experiences. The answers were found in Cubapaladar, a digital platform devoted to culinary reviews and journalism, that was recently awarded with a Gourmand Award. Their team was the main collaborator of this program in Havana, and their ranking provided the list of places to visit to learn about the traditions of the Cuban cuisine but also about the more contemporary gastronomy.

This Havana Culinary Tour included paladares like La Guarida or San Cristobal, both very known worldwide and visited by relevant personalities over the years. Other places also on the list were Café Laurent, Tierra, Ajiaco Café, Salsa Suarez, Otramanera, Nazdarovie, Doña Eutimia and La Barraca, because each one of them displays the best of Cuban homemade and gourmet cuisine, vanguard and traditional culinary, and different approaches to Cuban way of cooking with international twists.  In addition to the excellent food, the culinary experience was enriched by the workers´ and owner´s special attention and inputs about the intricacies of managing a restaurant in this country, taking into consideration all the challenges and the shortage of food and cooking supplies they have to face on occasions.  Encounters with professional chefs, Cuban foodies, farmers, food producers, and culinary critics, were also part of the program and were very important to really appreciate and delve into the Cuban cuisine.

 

 

Cubans like to save the best for last, and the final dinner was held at paladar Casa Grande located in Cojimar, the fishing village that inspired Ernest Hemingway to write The Old Man and The Sea. Some important personalities of the Cuban gastronomy scene shared their knowledge and their impressions with the visitors about what is considered as Cuban Cuisine, while enjoying an exceptional meal. At the end of the evening the consensus was that the Cuban food is particularly special because the Cubans put their soul into it, and it shows.

Cubapaladar team gathered general impressions and suggestions of the visitors about the Culinary Tour, and Cathy Freeman, former restaurant owner and chef in the US, expressed as summary of the visit: “All the food in the tour was good…it was a fantastic tour…we can´t wait to taste the food in other parts of the country”. Other members of the group classified as “world class” and “memorable” some of the paladares visited, not only for the quality of the food and their extensive menus but also for their privileged location, cozy environment, and the way some of this places manage to mix culinary and Cuban culture.

This innovative and revolutionary Havana Culinary Tour, was an opportunity to expand the borders of the Cuban Cuisine, and to demonstrate to the visitors that in this country you feel safe, good and you can eat even better. There is a Spanish proverb that states that “love enters through the kitchen”, but for Cubans cooking can be art, can be passion, can be love.