The Cuban Kitchen
SynopsisPlot
What is Cuban cuisine? A delectable intermingling of Spanish, Portuguese, Arabian, Chinese, and African culinary traditions—a true melting pot of all the influences that combine in Cuban culture. Now, Raquel Rabade Roque gives us the definitive book of Cuban cuisine: encyclopedic in its range, but intimate and accessible in tone with more than five hundred recipes for classic, home-style dishes—from black bean soup to pork empanadas, from ropa vieja to black beans and croquetas, from tostones to arroz con pollo, from churros to café con leche—as well as the vividly told stories behind the recipes.
Story
About this book
The Cuban Kitchen by Raquel Rabade Roque is a large collection of more than five hundred recipes rooted in the author's family cooking. The book covers home-style Cuban dishes across a wide range of categories, including soups, meats, rice dishes, fried sides, pastries, and drinks. Recipes for familiar preparations such as black bean soup, ropa vieja, arroz con pollo, tostones, empanadas, croquetas, and churros sit alongside less well-known dishes from everyday Cuban tables.
Cuban cooking draws from several distinct culinary traditions. Spanish, Portuguese, Arabian, Chinese, and African influences arrived on the island at different periods and through different routes, shaped by trade, migration, and colonial history. The book traces these connections through the stories behind individual recipes, linking specific ingredients and techniques to the cultures that introduced them.
Roque writes with a domestic rather than restaurant perspective, drawing on recipes passed through her own family. The book is organized to suit everyday cooking, with an emphasis on accessible preparation. Alongside the recipes, short narratives provide context for how particular dishes became part of Cuban household routines.
