Havana is one of the oldest and most picturesque cities of the western
hemisphere. It was a popular winter destination for North American
tourists in the 1950s, and this cookbook recaptures the spirit of Old
Havana-- Habana la vieja-- and its celebrated culinary traditions. Cuban
cuisine, though derived from its mother country, Spain, has been
modified and refined by locally available foods like pork, rice, corn,
beans and sugar, and the requirements of a tropical climate. Fine Gulf
Stream fish, crabs and lobsters, and an almost infinite variety of
vegetables and luscious tropical fruits also have their places on the
traditional Cuban table. This cookbook includes over 50 recipes, each in
Spanish with side-by-side English translation-- all of them classic
Cuban fare and old Havana specialties adapted for the North American
kitchen. Among the recipes included are: Ajiaco (famous Cuban Stew),
Boiled Pargo with Avocado Sauce, Lobster Havanaise, Tamal en Cazuela
(Soft Tamal), Quimbombo (okra), Picadillo, Roast Suckling Pig, and
Boniatillo (Sweet Potato Dulce), along with a whole chapter on famous
Cuban cocktails and beverages.