Island Profiles

  The Cuban style of cooking is known as comidas criollas, or creole food. It is a combination of tropical and European styles with occasional Chinese and Indian influences. The most common flavors used in cooking are cumin, garlic, bay leaves, peppers and onion. Sofrito, a sauteed combination of onions, tomatoes, pepper, garlic, herbs and spices, is used as the base for many Cuban dishes. Likewise, the creole garlic sauce known as mojo, is widely used. It contains a lot…

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Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and has a population of over 11 million. This island nation is multi-ethnic, has a very long and fascinating history and possesses an intensely rich culture. Rum, cigars, old cars and the intoxicating rhythms of Cuban music come to mind when Cuba is mentioned, but there is much more to explore, see and experience on this beautiful and captivating island. Havana Most visits to Cuba begin and end with the capital city…

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After Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the beautiful island of Cuba and the subsequent colonization by the Spanish, it was not long until the island’s original inhabitants were eliminated by disease, confrontation, exploitation or outright execution. With the end of the Indians came the beginning of African slavery, and consequently, the birth of Cuban music. Throughout the Caribbean and the New World, African slaves and the music and dance traditions they brought with them were the source of key components that…

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In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to the Americas, first reaching land at the Bahamas after which he sailed south to Cuba, arriving on October 28 at Bariay on the eastern tip of the island. The inhabitants of the island at the time included the Guanahatabey, Ciboney and Taíno, who were Arawak tribes that had migrated from South America. Although they greeted the Spanish peaceably, it was not long before they were wiped out by diseases, to which…

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About 93 miles south of Florida’s Key West, lies a fascinating island nation with a turbulent past, a cautiously optimistic future, and a present that sparks the imagination, curiosity and wanderlust of most any travel enthusiast. Images of dimly lit colonial cities pulsing with rumba music by night, flamboyant splashes of color and glistening sugar white beaches by day, 50s era antique automobiles and slowly decaying architecture connecting us to bygone days and burgeoning food and hospitality scenes showing a…

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