Below are some resources you can checkout if you’re curious about Cuban culture and food!

“Cuba.” Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, directed by Toby Oppenheimer, Zero Point ZeroProduction Inc., 2015.

Bourdain takes viewers to the “new” Cuba where he explores the country’s politics in conjunction with its changing food scene. What makes this episode so great its raw take on cuisine and culture in a Communist country. Plus, the scenery is as stunning as the food. Available on Netflix.

Alonso, Cynthia Carris, and Valerie Feigen. A Taste of Cuba: A Journey Through Cuba and Its Savory Cuisine. Apollo Publishers, 2018.

What makes this cookbook stand out is the recipes collected from Cuba’s best chefs. It also includes photography along with interesting interviews about how chef’s adapt their cooking based on the availability of ingredients.

Schwartz, Joan, and Mary Urrutia Randelman. Memories of a Cuban Kitchen. Macmillan Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1992.

This cookbook contains traditional recipes from Pre-Castro Cuba. The author also adds anecdotes from her memories of “the old” Cuba before each recipe which makes this more than just a cookbook.  

Kornbluh, Peter. “Getting a Taste of Cuba.” The Nation, 29 August 2018.

This article focuses on the release of the A Taste of Cuba cookbook (mentioned above). It interviews the book’s creators and explains the complicated history of tourism in Cuba. It is a quick read with eye-catching images and a current look at the United State’s relationship with Cuba.   

Goldstein, Darra. “Discover Cuba: An Island of Exceptional Food Traditions.” EatingWell. April 2016.

An insightful article that gives readers a brief history on the effects of food shortages and rationing on the farmers and restaurants of Cuba. It tells the stories of real people who used the poor economic climate to foster creativity and innovation.

Ruhlman, Michael. “Meet the People Rescuing Cuban Cuisine.” Conde Nast Traveler. 9 October 2017.  

Beautifully written article on the reemerging culinary scene in Havana. It is a hopeful portrait of a new generation of young Cubans who want to revitalize the traditions and cities of their beloved country.

Christine, Folch. “Fine Dining: Race in Prerevolution Cuban Cookbooks.” no. 2, 2008, p. 205. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/lar.0.0029.

This academic journal is about the use of cookbooks as a historical text. The author argues that Cuban cookbooks from before the revolution were tools that helped map out a Cuban identity in a country struggling to define its diverse people.

Alfonso, Ivan Darias. “We Are What We Now Eat: Food and Identity in the Cuban Diaspora.” Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Canadian Association of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CALACS)), vol. 37, no. 74, Nov. 2012, pp. 173-206. EBSCOhost.

An academic journal that looks at the cultural and culinary effects of the Cuban diaspora. It provides an interesting look at the adaptation of recipes and identity due to emigration with a large collection of interviews.  

Shannon Lee, Dawdy. “‘La Comida Mambisa’: Food, Farming, and Cuban Identity, 1839-1999.” NWIG, Vol 76, Iss 1&2, Pp 47-80 (2002), no. 1&2, 2002, p. 47. EBSCOhost.

This academic journal does a great job illustrating the relationship between politics, food, and identity. This is exhibited through the nationalist ideology of Cuba during the revolution and the dishes that became its symbols.