“The food is bad.”
“You will struggle to eat.”
“Expect nothing but rice and beans.”
These were all statements I had read online, in guidebooks and told to me by friends who have visited Cuba before. I am a self confessed foodie, so it’s fair to say that I wasn’t holding my breath for decent simple meals, let alone culinary delights on my trip to Cuba.
But is the food in Cuba bad?
My first meal of the Cuban staples, rice and beans
Cuba’s food variety can be limited and the supply chain can breakdown without warning, though this is not a problem limited to food. Whilst travelling in Cuba I encountered a supply problem with water, beer, and even deodorant. In fact, the only thing that seemed immune to running out was rum – there was never a shortage of ron.
But to say the food is bad is simply not true.
In 3.5 weeks there were only three occasions where all that was available to eat was the Cuban staple of rice, beans, yucca (a typical root vegetable) or plantain (a variety of banana best eaten fried). Each of these times it was in a remote area on the roadside travelling between towns and cities, and each of these meals cost me the equivalent of $2.
The only time I ate terrible food, was eating in a large state run restaurant, recommended in Lonely Planet and other guidebooks. This was also the only restaurant where MAJORITY of the menu was not available that particular day.
The Cuban government now allows its citizens to run their own private restaurants out of their houses. Sticking to the private run restaurants known as paladars the food was always fresh and good, even if the menu was sometimes limited. It a few cases, the food was amazing – a true foodie delight.
THINGS I ATE THAT SURPRISED ME
Lobster cooked enchilada style on the left, grilled lobster and yucca on the right
Lobster. And lots of it. I will admit that by the end I did get a little sick of lobster (how dare I even say that?) but it was almost always a choice, so a good fallback option for me being a non-meat eater. It came in an array of styles.
I ate it with béchamel sauce in Trinidad and enchilada style (cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce) in Camaguey and Havana. On some occasions it was just grilled, and on the beach in Maria la Gorda I had it off a DIY barbeque with lime, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
Baracoa was an all round culinary surprise, as over in Guantanemo they have their own local dishes, most of which are seasoned with the local specialty – coconut. By the beachside in Baracoa, I also enjoyed octopus cooked with their other local speciality, sweet but tangy lime.
An absolute feast in Baracoa, and an amazing vegetable and bean stack in Viñales
Prawns were another common feature on the menu, and they came with cooked with pineapple, grilled, or done in enchilada style, to name a few. The prawns I enjoyed most were in Santiago de Cuba, where I ate them cooked with garlic.
In Santiago de Cuba and Viñales I ate homemade vegetable soup, each time hearty and delicious with the local vegetables that were on offer.
Viñales was also another culinary surprise. I ate at a paladar run by a local who had spent some time working as a chef in Spain. The result? A menu with variety and quality comparable to home.
At this paladar I ate, among other things, a very typical Spanish dish called parrillada con romesco, or grilled vegetables with a red pepper and nut sauce. If you had blindfolded me as I was eating me I couldn’t have told you if I was in Cuba or Spain.
The biggest surprise in Viñales however, was the vegetarian restaurant I stumbled across. I chowed down at lunch on a vegetable stack with bean sauce, accompanied with tempura vegetables, then backed it up the same night with another vegetable filled dinner, eating at a vegetable farmers finca (farmhouse).
Amazing dessert – fresh cacao beans, homemade ice-cream, and a local sweet made with cane sugar, coconut and guava
I finished off my trip with one of the best culinary experiences in Cuba, a paladar filled with locals in Vedado, Havana, that served different dishes including ravioli with spinach and blue cheese and fish cooked with sesame seeds and a teriyaki like sauce.
So was the food in Cuba bad?
Definitely not.
Did I get sick of rice and beans by the end?
Yes, because they accompany almost every meal. The choices can be simples at times – pork, chicken, fish or lobster to accompany the rice and beans, but there is also enough culinary surprises through out the country to keep in interesting.
I think it’s fair to say that once upon a time the food in Cuba was bad.
But with the advent of privately run paladars, and the recently relaxed laws allowing them to serve seafood (previously the paladars were only allowed to serve chicken and pork, in an effort to keep much of the business in the state sector), the food situation for tourists in Cuba has improved dramatically. For now. The laws in Cuba can change without warning. But for the meantime avoid the state restaurants, enjoy Cuba’s paladars, and turn your trip to Cuba into one with unexpected culinary delights.
Token 1950’s car photo, no post on Cuba is complete without it
Whispering Gums says
Whew, Cyra … That was nearly a disaster! Love the look of the Baracoa table. Sounds like Cuba was a wonderful adventure. Have you seen that movie The Buena Vista Social Club about the Cuban musicians? I’m sure you have, but just thought I’d check.
Cyra says
The Baracoa meal was AMAZING! I think I will do a post about that meal later on. I haven’t actually seen the movie, but I have heard lots about it. I will get around to it someday.
Whispering Gums says
I love the CD.
Hitch-Hikers Handbook says
Fascinating blog, Cyra! Thanks for connecting with us on Twitter! Keep up the great work and travel safe!
Cyra says
Thanks again, thats really kind of you to say. I am going to have to scoot over and check out your blog properly! Same to you too!
Tom @ Waegook Tom says
I love the concept of paladars – it sounds like a wonderful way to get to know the culture a bit better. When I was in Miami, I ate Cuban food everyday, and didn’t get sick of it at all, despite all the rice, beans, and plantains. I think I’d chow down on all the prawns, rice, and pork available. And yes, HOW DARE you say too much lobster?! Although you can keep your octopus. I’m not down with tentacles.
Cyra says
Haha I know, I almost felt guilty typing those words.
I’m not a big fan of tentacles either but living in Spain I have got used to them because we get amazingly fresh octopus here (especially in the north west of the country). There is a great dish with potato octopus and paprika. I got used to the tentacles but I will admit I still give the end tips of the tentacles away, I can’t eat those bits that are all bumpy and no meat!
It was really great. Some were more business minded but others had their toothbrushes in the same bathrooms the guests used. It was an experience!
I’ve heard Cuban food is supposed to be great there, one day I will go!
Syd says
Lobster and enchiladas are two of my favorite things so I think I could get down with enchilada style lobster or whatever that delicious-looking things is. Also, your food photos make mine look laaaaame-o.
Megan Kennedy says
I’m looking forward to eating in the paladars!
After reading so many articles about how bad the food is there, it’s nice hearing that it’s not. I can’t wait to visit in December for a couple of weeks.
Cyra says
I’m glad you enjoyed reading. I think people love to hype up the fact that the food is bad in Cuba. But definitely try the paladars. And you have to try Starbien in Havana. It’s so good and totally different to other places!
Annie says
Funny how you didn’t talk about “ham and cheese”. Last time I’ve been to Cuba, everything was ham and cheese! Ahah! So I got sick of it more than rice and been.
Interesting post! 🙂
Cyra says
Haha that’s true actually! I didn’t eat too much though as when I was there I didn’t eat meat, and I realised pretty quickly the cheese was not so good. I’m what you might call a cheese snob 😉
blake foote says
Before I went to Cuba, I was warned that the food leaves a lot to be desired. However, I found this to be totally wrong, the food in Habana is bloody awful. I do not believe that it is because of the embargo, it is just a very low level of appreciation of how to prepare a meal. The Cubans are great, friendly people, but the food in Habana is the worst I have ever encountered, it was even worse than Spain; it is barbaric.
Cyra says
The food in the state run restaurants in Cuba is bad, but I had plenty of good experiences eating in privately run restaurants (as you can see in the above post). So to say there is no appreciation of how to prepare a meal in Cuba is simply not true. And as for Spanish food, well, you can have a poor meal if you eat in the touristic parts of the cities – which is generally the same in most countries that have touristic cities – but that’s not actually proper Spanish food. If you seek out proper cuisine, the food is amazing. I have lived in Spain for years and barely eaten a bad meal, ever.