About
Why Cuba? I came to Cuba to learn Salsa on a dance holiday. I fell in love. Not with a man but with Cuba. I came back regularly on holidays but realised that the only way to really understand the country was to speak the lingo. So I moved to Havana to learn Spanish. Through the process of learning Cubanol (Cuban Español) I realised that I wanted to live in Cuba.
Why Food?
I’ve always been a foodie. As a child I played restaurant with my sister. I grew vegetables with my grandad. I wanted to be a restaurant critic when I grew up. Life took twists and turns but the joy of exploring food, sharing it with people was a constant. I did open a restaurant with my sister and spent some of the most exciting and rewarding years of my life serving up food to people, many of whom became friends until the draw of Cuba became too strong.
Why Blog?
So many people ask me about my experiences in Cuba that I thought I would capture them in a blog. And so much of my daily life in Cuba revolves around food that it seemed appropriate that it be the main theme of this blog. In so many ways food in Cuba is a reflection of what the people and country are going through and have gone though. I’m just an observer.
This blog is based on entirely my own opinions. It is not about politics – there are plenty of other opinions on the web for that. I hope that it becomes a space where people can journey with me as I explore Cuba through the medium of food.
Tanja
03/06/12
Vedado, Havana, Cuba
El porque del CubanFoodBlog
¿Por qué Cuba?
Fui a Cuba a aprender salsa durante unas vacaciones y me enamoré, no de un hombre, sino del país. Regresé a menudo de vacaciones, pero me di cuenta de que la única forma de entender de verdad el país era hablar el lingo, así que me mudé a La Habana para aprender español. Durante ese proceso de aprendizaje me di cuenta de que quería vivir en Cuba.
¿Por qué es sobre gastronomía?
Siempre he sido aficionada al buen comer. Cuando era niña, jugaba con mi hermana a los restaurantes y cultivaba verduras con mi abuelo. Decidí que sería crítica gastronómica cuando fuera mayor. La vida da muchas vueltas, pero el placer de experimentar con la comida y compartirla con los demás ha sido constante. De hecho, abrí un restaurante con mi hermana y pasé algunos de los años más gratificantes e importantes de mi vida. También hice amistad con muchos clientes hasta que la llamada de Cuba se hizo irresistible.
¿Por qué un blog?
Tanta gente me ha preguntado por mis experiencias en Cuba, que pensé que podría 
transmitirlas a través de un blog. Además, como la mayor parte de mi vida diaria en Cuba gira en torno a la comida, me pareció apropiado que fuera el tema principal del blog. La comida en Cuba es, de muchas formas, el reflejo de lo que han vivido y están viviendo tanto el país como sus ciudadanos. Yo únicamente me limito a observar.
En este blog vierto únicamente mi propia opinión. No trata de política, pues ya hay muchas otras páginas en internet para hablar de eso. Espero que se convierta en un espacio desde donde quien quiera pueda acompañarme mientras exploro Cuba mediante su gastronomía.
Tanja
03/06/12
Vedado, Havana, Cuba
10 Comments
Write a Comment
Blogroll
When words are not enough
Sometimes photos and words are not enough when it comes to describing the rich history and culture of Cuban food.
Appeal of Cuban ingredients and cooking?
Its hard for me to explain what the appeal is of Cuba and Cuban food. For a start its deeply
New beginnings
I've been working on a new blog design and branding. It's been something I've wanted almost from the
Cuban food markets – the daily grind
Food. Finding it, preparing it. Eating it. It occupies most of my day. But then I do write a food blog! However,
Casabe – A culinary time machine
Food is fascinating. It gives us rich historical insight and cultural understanding into a country. The raises (roots) of Cuban
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Hi,
I love your stuff. I work with CubaAbsolutely.com – I would love to meet up if / when you have time in Havana. Could you send me your contact details,
Best
Sofia B
Thanks for stopping by Sofia. I’ve been in touch with Matthew. Yes absolutely lets do coffe in Havana – the very best place to drink it (in my humble opinion).
great blog! will keep my eye on your posts, especially as you write about vegetarian options
Thanks Robert and welcome. I shall do my best on the Veggie front. Though not a vegetarian myself I do eat very little meat in Cuba, mainly because I just don’t trust the storage of it. I’ve been lucky enough to work in one of Europe’s best vegetarian restaurants, Cafe Paradiso in Cork, which has given me a huge interest and love of vegetarian food.
Happy to have found your blog. Especially as everything I have read tells me not to expect too much from Cuban cuisine. I’ll be heading down to Cuba for a few months this winter, so I’ll be following your blog closely.
Hey Robert, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to say Hola! I think Cuban food gets a bad rap. One of the main reasons I started the blog to be honest. Food in Cuban homes is generally delicious, extremely fresh and mainly organic. And there is a growing collection of tasty restaurants. However you will need some insider information to help you seek out the best food in Cuba. I’m hoping the blog will help you in that department. Winter in Cuba – you’re going to love it. A feast for the senses. Can’t wait to hear about your impressions.
Great blog, congratulations. I hope you’ll come spread the word about it on our Cuban social network, CubaEnLinea.net. It’s in Spanish, but we have many readers in North America and elsewhere who speak English, so could benefit from your site. Keep up the good work!
Hola David. Seguro que si! I’d love to bring my blog to a wider audience. Thanks for stopping by and stay in touch. Tanja
Que Bueno!! Yo espero viajar a Cuba alguna dia!! Siempre pienso es un pais mas bonito y mas interesante! ( As you can see I have some way off before my spanish is anywhere as good as it needs to be but I am too excited to have found your blog! Top of my list to visit is Cuba so to find a blog like yours from and Irish female perspective as well… brillant!!
Hola! Judging by your Spanish you’ll do just fine communicating over here! If you do make plans to travel – do get in touch. It’d be lovely to have an Irish natter in Havana… Thanks for stopping by and stay in touch?!