Cuban cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines. Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish and African cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavor. A small, but noteworthy, Chinese influence can also be accounted for, mainly in the Havana area.Due to historical reasons, the Cuban population was not equally distributed along the island. African slaves were a majority in the sugar cane plantations, but in most of the cities they constituted a minority. Tobacco plantations were inhabited mainly by poor Spanish peasants, mostly from the Canary Islands. The eastern part of the island also received massive quantities of French, Haitian and Caribbean immigrants, mainly during the Haitian Revolution, as well as seasonal workers for the sugar cane harvest, while the western part did not, receiving instead European, mostly Spanish, immigration well into the 1950s. Thus Cuban cuisines developed locally, from the influences and demographics specific to each area.Cuban cuisine has almost nothing in common with Mexican cuisine, which is a surprise for many visitors from the United States or Europe. It also differs from other Latin American cuisines and food traditions of the United States.

By Chris Aspin MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's oldest cantina, a classic drinking dive patronized by dozens of past presidents and Cuban leader Fidel Castro when he was in exile here, has closed its doors after more than 150 years. Nestled in a...

Mexico's oldest cantina, a classic drinking dive patronized by dozens of past presidents and Cuban leader Fidel Castro when he was in exile here, has closed its doors after more than 150 years.

As if coffee intrigue and resurgence of interest in Cuban culture (thanks to Fidel's ill health, and the Jimmy Smits show "Cane") weren't enough, now the Coffee Tao blog is combining the two with a great article about the Cafe Cubano, a smooth, sweet, and cool espresso drink.

The suddenly popular Mojito cocktail is a deliciously sweet and refreshing tropical drink. Although nowadays the ones they serve in a bar might differ from its original recipe. Heres how to make an authentic original Bodeguita del Medio Cuban mojito.

HAVANA (800lb)– In his first public comments since puberty, Raul Castro made it clear he was Cuba’s Big Cheese. He assured the Cuban people that his brother Fidel was still alive and still “mucho macho!”. He boasted that his brother was doing one hundred push ups an hour, banging six women at once and drinking rum liked iced tea.