Cuban Flavor: Exploring the Island's Unique Places, People, and Cuisine

Description

A lush journey through Cuba, its paladars, and its flavorful cuisine For Cubans, food is a complex story-a tapestry of love and loss woven so deeply into their culture that it goes well beyond that of history or sustenance. Gershman, who's love affair with Cuba began long before her first visit, takes you along on a photojournalistic journey through the streets of Cuba and its paladares through her stunning photographs of the country's glorious sights, the lively people, and, of course, the amazing variety of food. Much more than a cookbook, Cuban Flavor is an introduction to a revolutionary era of Cuban cuisine: a new frontier. Growth and transition foster the seed of invention and innovation, and these shifts often begin with food. From the succulent spiced meat of the national Ropa Viejo, simmered in a tomato-based criollo sauce, to the sweet and sticky Arroz Con Leche or the local favorite, Flan served in a soda can, Cuban cuisine has something for every palate. Pair these delights with a warm, sultry night, an old convertible, and a jazz band, and sit back as you fall deeply in love again . . . or for the very first time. This visually arresting volume features more than fifty Cuban recipes, from appetizers to main courses and drinks to desserts. Along with color photographs of the dishes, you'll also get to meet the people who create them. This remarkable volume offers a taste of the little-known culture to a public that has long been deprived of its intoxicating flavors.

Liza Gershman is an award-winning food, lifestyle, and travel photographer, photo editor, and photography instructor. Her photographs have been featured in a range of beautiful cookbooks, including Skyhorse's The Good Cooks' Book series. She is the author of Drink Vermont and Passage to China. Mari Aixala is a creative writer and executive producer of Cuban descent. She has spent the last two decades focused on Cuba and women's untold stories via AniMari Films. She serves as a board member on the Bacardi Family Foundation as a sixth-generation heir, and she is a sponsor or TEDxHavana. She is presently working on her TV debut series, CUBA LIBRE.

"Beautifully photographed, and full of rich details on Cuban food and culture and the people who create it, this well-researched combination of a cookbook, scrap book, travel guide, and love letter to Cuba features enough mouth-watering photos of Cuban food to make you want to hop on the next flight over there for a meal. But if you can't make it, don't worry, because the book's detailed recipes will help you re-create these meals at home. Even if you're not a chef, it's fun to page through the book to learn about the Cuban food scene." -Bill Fink, award-winning travel writer for Lonely Planet, Frommer's BBC, and National Geographic Traveler "I love cookbooks-and I love them even more when they go beyond the food to include the culture that creates the cuisine, particularly when it's somewhere as exotic as Cuba. Liza Gershman has masterfully captured the color and excitement of Cuba in her photographs as skillfully as she captured the mouthwatering food. During the first decades of the revolution, the Cuban dining scene left much to be desired. Basic ingredients were difficult to find, supplies were rationed, and the quality was at best mediocre. However, in recent years the proliferation of private restaurants, paladares, has transformed the way people eat. Liza Gershman has got to the soul of Cuba through its food. Cuban Flavor is the next best thing to hopping on a plane to Havana." -Robert Holmes, recipient of the 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year by the Society of American Travel Writers "Sometimes you pick up a dream disguised as a book. This is such a book. Whether you are an avid world traveler looking for new adventures or a home chef in search of family-pleasing menus, Liza Gershman's Cuban Flavor pairs the history, traditions, and recipes of the Cuban people with glorious photographs and reminds us that Cuba will always be a dream-worthy destination." -Rayne Wolfe, author and cookbook stylist "Much more than a just another ethnic regional cookbook, Cuban Flavor is an introduction to a revolutionary era of Cuban cuisine that ranges from the succulent spiced meat of the national Ropa Viejo, simmered in a tomato-based criollo sauce; to the sweet and sticky Arroz Con Leche; or the local favorite, Flan served in a soda can. Cuban cuisine has something for every palate and this visually arresting culinary compendium showcases more than fifty Cuban recipes, from appetizers to main courses and drinks to desserts. An impressive and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' collection of authentic, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying Cuban dishes suitable for any and all dining occasions, Cuban Flavor is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections." -Midwest Book Review "Beautifully photographed, and full of rich details on Cuban food and culture and the people who create it, this well-researched combination of a cookbook, scrap book, travel guide, and love letter to Cuba features enough mouth-watering photos of Cuban food to make you want to hop on the next flight over there for a meal. But if you can't make it, don't worry, because the book's detailed recipes will help you re-create these meals at home. Even if you're not a chef, it's fun to page through the book to learn about the Cuban food scene." -Bill Fink, award-winning travel writer for Lonely Planet, Frommer's BBC, and National Geographic Traveler "I love cookbooks-and I love them even more when they go beyond the food to include the culture that creates the cuisine, particularly when it's somewhere as exotic as Cuba. Liza Gershman has masterfully captured the color and excitement of Cuba in her photographs as skillfully as she captured the mouthwatering food. During the first decades of the revolution, the Cuban dining scene left much to be desired. Basic ingredients were difficult to find, supplies were rationed, and the quality was at best mediocre. However, in recent years the proliferation of private restaurants, paladares, has transformed the way people eat. Liza Gershman has got to the soul of Cuba through its food. Cuban Flavor is the next best thing to hopping on a plane to Havana." -Robert Holmes, recipient of the 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year by the Society of American Travel Writers "Sometimes you pick up a dream disguised as a book. This is such a book. Whether you are an avid world traveler looking for new adventures or a home chef in search of family-pleasing menus, Liza Gershman's Cuban Flavor pairs the history, traditions, and recipes of the Cuban people with glorious photographs and reminds us that Cuba will always be a dream-worthy destination." -Rayne Wolfe, author and cookbook stylist "Much more than a just another ethnic regional cookbook, Cuban Flavor is an introduction to a revolutionary era of Cuban cuisine that ranges from the succulent spiced meat of the national Ropa Viejo, simmered in a tomato-based criollo sauce; to the sweet and sticky Arroz Con Leche; or the local favorite, Flan served in a soda can. Cuban cuisine has something for every palate and this visually arresting culinary compendium showcases more than fifty Cuban recipes, from appetizers to main courses and drinks to desserts. An impressive and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' collection of authentic, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying Cuban dishes suitable for any and all dining occasions, Cuban Flavor is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections." -Midwest Book Review