French flavors in Cuban cuisine

Abstract

The culinary art is one of the most indigenous and evident expressions of a country's culture. Cuban cuisine is a particular case due to the multiple foreign influences it has had throughout its history. These influences have turned this gastronomy into an exceptional product. On the Island, indigenous, Spanish, African, Chinese, Anglo-Americans, Mexicans, Arabs, Germans, Italians, and French, among others, have mixed. The impact of the French on national gastronomic habits and customs is an unusual theme in texts on this subject. Also, the lack of a work that systematizes the impact of the French presence on Cuban cuisine constitutes the leitmotif of this work. In Cuba, a fundamental aspect to keep in mind when analyzing any social phenomenon is the amalgamation of foreign influences that have shaped our nationality, and cuisine is no exception. The absence of a "pure" Cuban culinary style, due to the very mix that exists on the Caribbean island, constitutes its most vigorous bastion and the fascination that many foreigners discover in the Greater Antilles. It is precisely the conjunction of the historical-cultural values of the foreign components that have shaped our nationality, combined with the little legacy of the native Aboriginal culture in our country, which forms the basis of our cuisine. What has gradually become "Cuban" over time is the construction and acceptance – both private and public – of combinations of bitter and sweet flavors, salty and sour, etc., along with fruits, vegetables, and other products native to our land.