An appeal to save the memory of the island’s cuisine was the lecture given by Eusebio Leal Spengler, Historian of Havana, at the opening the IV Rescue and Promotion of Culinary Culture, Saborear lo cubano (Tasting the Cuban).
Tough times led to a simplification in the cuisine of the Caribbean nation, which led to the neglect of the recipes of our grandmothers, which were very common in that time but today, they are almost impossible to find, Leal said.
However, today is an act of laziness not doing what it should be done, he warned, at times when measures are taken to facilitate the marketing of products with higher quality and there are new forms of management.
Times of gigantism are over, he said, in a call to reject the marginality, the vulgarity and boredom in the culinary arts of Cuba, and not to mix administrative matters with the quality of the culinary creations.
His remembrance to atole , the machuquillo , rice pudding , among other authentic dishes of all time , served to encourage those working in the restaurant world to work with greater imagination and look desperately for the Cuban identity in each preparation .
The fourth edition of the Cuban Tasting ran until November 16th, the date of the anniversary 498 of the former village of San Cristobal de la Habana, and included a wide range of activities in various locations in the historic center of the city.
Leal ‘s words served as a prelude to the conference “tradition versus modernity”, a vision of gastronomy in Cuba , delivered by Dr. Jorge Méndez Rodríguez , who presented his book ” Talking with your mouth full ” to managers, specialists and fans gathered at the Ruben Martinez Villena Public Library.
Workshops on fish and seafood at the restaurant La Barca ; pastry at El Patio , and the Influence of African black in Cuban cuisine at Cafe Taberna , were among the activities that enlivened the first day of the event.
To close the evening, the participants could enjoy gastronomic and historical charms of Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a distinguished establishment that reached its peak in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Prohibition was in effect in the United States and Cuba became a safe haven for American merchants engaged in trafficking in alcoholic beverages.
With the introduction of its renowned entrepanes and cocktails, the bar again savored the spirit of famous sports and American films figures, including the famed baseball player Babe Ruth and Clark Gable, the star of Gone with the Wind.
His manager Ernesto Iznagas elaborated on the process of restoring the iconic place through which they rescued distinctive elements like the dark mahogany bar ( 18 meters long ) , immortalized in the British film “Our Man in Havana ” on which Errol Flynn , John Wayne , Spencer Tracy and other Hollywood stars of the time spent their time sipping their drinks.
On Thursday, the organizers had two conferences: Historical curiosities of Habanos and Gastroturismo, current situation and potential of Cuba.
Other facilities at the Historical Center that host workshops related to preparations with coffee (Coffee Bar Lamparilla) and banana in Cuban cuisine (El Patio) Draft of Havana Club, mixtures of excellence (Museo del Ron), and the gastronomic, nutritional and ecological communication journalism conference.
