Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cuban & Latin American Cuisine
Cuban food, once considered 'exotic,' is itself a mix of Caribbean, African and Latin
American influences, and in Tampa and Miami it's a staple of everyday life. Sidle up to a
Cuban
lonchería
(snack bar) and order a
pan cubano
(a buttered, grilled baguette stuffed
with ham, roast pork, cheese, mustard and pickles).
Integral to many Cuban dishes are
mojo
(a garlicky vinaigrette, sprinkled on sand-
wiches),
adobo
(a meat marinade of garlic, salt, cumin, oregano and sour orange juice) and
sofrito
(a stew-starter mix of garlic, onion and chili peppers). Main-course meats are typic-
ally accompanied by rice and beans, and fried plantains.
With its large number of Central and Latin American immigrants, the Miami area offers
plenty of authentic ethnic eateries. Seek out Haitian
griots
(marinated fried pork), Jamaic-
an jerk chicken, Brazilian barbecue, Central American
gallo pinto
(red beans and rice) and
Nicaraguan
tres leches
('three milks' cake).
In the morning, try a Cuban coffee, also known as
café cubano
or
cortadito.
This hot
shot of liquid gold is essentially sweetened espresso, while
café con leche
is just
café au
lait
with a different accent: equal parts coffee and hot milk.
Another Cuban treat is
guarapo,
or fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice. Cuban snack bars
serve the greenish liquid straight or poured over crushed ice, and it's essential to an au-
thentic mojito (rum, sugar, mint, lemon and club soda). It also sometimes finds its way in-
to
batidos
(a milky, refreshing Latin American fruit smoothie).
If you love farmers markets, visit
www.florida-agriculture.com
and click on 'Info for Con-
sumers' and 'Community Farmers' Markets' to find a statewide list.
Eating in Miami, 'Hood by 'Hood
The Miami eating experience varies by neighborhood.
South Beach
Restaurants open and close with the frequency of celebrity-spottings, which is to say, a lot
- sometimes eating here feels like opening the pages of a British tabloid, although to be
fair, usually you're surrounded by other tourists. There is no shortage of food variety, price
