Cuban Cookery, continued (LONG!)

Tue May 7 05:07:21 UTC 2002

   Along with that Cuban "tango," there's a "habanera" dance in that cite that pre-dates OED's 1878.
   While going through some guidebooks I came across TERRY'S GUIDE TO CUBA (1926), with its wonderful section on Cuban cooking.  Then I found a glossary in HAVANA MANANA (1941).  Here's another roundup.

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A TRIP TO CUBA
by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe
Negro Universities Press, New York
1969
Originally published in 1890 by Ticknor and Fields

Pg. 169:  ...I will content myself with mentioning the novelty of a Cuban country-dish, a sort of stew, composed of ham, beef, mutton, potatoes, sweet potatoes, _yuca_, and yams.  This is called _Ayacco_, and is a characteristic dish, like eel-soup in Hamburg, or salt codfish in Boston;--as is usual in such cases, it is more relished by the inhabitants than by their visitors.
("Ayacco"="Ajiaco"?--ed.)

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HAVANA:
THE BLUE GUIDE TO CUBA
1947 Edition
(At Columbia University Library--ed.)

Pg. 131 (SOME CUBAN AND SPANISH DISHES):
CHICKEN AND RICE...
PISTO MANCHEGO...
HUEVOS A LA MALAGUENA...
CANGREJOS MOROS...

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TERRY'S GUIDE TO CUBA
by T. Philip Terry
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company
1926

Pg. 25:
   _The Cuban Bill-of-Fare_...
   A favorite dish with them is the _matahambre_ (kill hunger), a mass made of yucca and egg, sweetened, and baked in the oven.  Likewise, _fufu_, made of bananas, sweet potato or squash, boiled with lard.  In Bayamo this is known as mogo (a derivative of the Nigerian _mofongo_).
   AJIACO CRIOLLO, the _plato nacional_ (national dish), the piece de resistance of the Cuban table (_mesa_) and referred to as _muy cubano_ (very CUban), is a savory creole composition (_cocido_) made of jerked beef (_tasajo_), pork (_carne de puerco_), Indian corn (_maiz_), banana (_platano_), sweet potato (_boniato_), Irish potato (_papa_), arum (_malanga_), yam (_name_) and red peper (_aji_).  Its Spanish equivalent, liked by all Spaniards, is the
   OLLA CATALANA, or Catalonian boiled dinner, which comprises bits of salt pork (_tocino salado_), sausage (_salchicha_), cabbage (_col_), potato (_papa_), chich peas (_garbanzos_), and various other vegetables (_legumbres_).  It is a variant of the New England boiled dinner and is a meal in itself,--as are many of the Spanish soups (_sopas_).  When these are thick they are called _sopa de sustancia_.  Thin broth is _caldo_.  _Sopa islena_ is soup made island style.
   CANGREJO MORO (Moorish carb), a large, red (very popular and common along the coast) lobster-like crab with black-tipped claws.  (...)
(Pg. 26--ed.)
   RUEDA DE PARGO (round slice of porgy steak)...
   ARROZ CON CALAMARES, rice with small squid...
   FUNCHE, or _Serense_, a popular dish made of corn meal, salt, lard, crabmeat or the small crustacean called _jaiba_.
   CHAYOTES RELLENOS, stuffed _chayotes_...
   PISTO MANCHEGO, eggs scrambled Manchegan style with tomato and red pepper.
   PESCADO MINUTA (minute fish), strips of fried porgy resembling fillet of sole.
   BACALAO A LA VIZCAINA, boiled salted codfish with Biscayan sauce.
   GUAGUANCHOS (an Indian name) are Cuban smelts.
(...)
   _Bread_...
..._Pan de Flauta_ (flute-shaped bread)...
   The double rolls with a longitudinal crease along the center are called half-pounds (_media libras_).  The round, bonnet-shaped loaves are _bonetes_.  PAN DE HUEVO (egg bread) is a sweetish bun usually taken with morning coffee.  Biscuits are _bizcochos_.  _Pan bizcochado_ (biscuit-shaped) resembles French rolls.  _Pan de Caracas_ is a thick tart sprinkled with sugar.  Many different Spanish cakes like the _bunuelo de viento_ (doughnut), _churros_, _tejeringos_, _calentitos_, and a wide variety of _pasteles_ (cakes) and _tortas_ (tarts) are for sale in the goody shops.  The breadsticks like elongated ice-cream cones, and served with this, are called _barquillos_ (little barks).
   _Drinks_...
(Pg. 27--ed.)
   Popular cocktails (same in Sp.) are the _daiquiri_ and the _George Washington_. (...) Spanish chocolate usually is stiff and thick; when served Mex. style (_estilo majicano_) it is made of hot milk, spiced with cinnamon and whipped up with a twirler (_molinillo_). The Iron Beer drunk locally is similar to root beer or sarsaparilla.  Popular among the soft drinks are:
   PINEAPPLE CRUSH (_pina fria colada_--cold strained pineapple juice), made by squeezing the juice (_jugo_) from half a _pina_ into an ice-filled shaker and sweetened with a little sugar.  (...)  GARAPINA is an agreeable drink of _pina_ pulp or skins sweetened and allowed to ferment.
   CHAMPOLA, or GUANABANADA is the juice of the popular _guanabana_ (see FRUITS) treated as above. (...)
   AGUA DE COCO (cocoanut water, or milk) is served everywhere. (...)
   NARANJADA (orangeade)...
   LIMONADA (lemonade)...
   CHICHA is a beverage made of pineapple rinds, sugar or molasses, with toasted maize added to hasten fermentation.  Popular with the _bajo pueblo_.
   SAMBUMBIA is made of water and the juice of sugar cane.  When _aji guaguao_ (a specially hot capsicum) is added it is called _Frucanga_.
   TAMARINDO is tamarind...
   COFFEE...

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HAVANA MANANA:
A GUIDE TO CUBA AND THE CUBANS
by Consuelo Hermer and Marjorie May
Random House, NY
1941

Pg. 109:  Sometimes, in the afternoon between four and five, you may have _merienda_--a little snack--perhaps a Cuban sandwich or _bocadito_ which translates charmingly as "little mouthful."  Cuban ham, with a meatier ham flavor than ours, is the standby for these, and it's a treat to get a sandwich with the ham thicker than the surrounding bread.

Pg. 109:  Cocktail time is from six to nine and besides drinking (Pg. 110--ed.) _Daiquiris_ (the best in the world are served at the Floridita) or _Presidentes_, you'll eat _berberechos_ (wonderful clams no bigger than your finger-tip, imported from SPain) little seafood croquettes, banana chips (tangier than potato chips) and olives spiked with garlic.

Pg. 110:  For the perfect finale to the perfect dinner, drop into the Floridita to enjoy a _Cafe Cocktail_--black coffee, Spanish brandy, Creme de Caco and a shaving of lemon peel, all whipped vigorously in a electric mixer until it becomes a subtle blend of flavors. (...)  You, however, might like to try the native drink of _mojito_, which translates as "something a little wet."

Pg. 111:  ..._Caldo gallego_, a Spanish potage thick with sausage, ham, cabbage, potatoes and other vegetables.
..._Sopa tartara_...
...Fabada_...
   On a par with _arroz con pollo_ as a Cuban staple is _Ajiaco_, found at every restaurant.
..._langosta_...

Pg. 112:  Mammoth Moorish crabs (_Cangrejo Moro_) have the claws that the lobsters lack.

Pg. 114:  _Rancho de mariscos_ rewards you with an assorted seafood grill, including red-snapper roe and tiny crawfish crisp in crumb batter. (...)
   _Pescado papillote_ is one of the main reasons why you should visit the Miami, long known for fine food.  Tiny, boned red-snappers, with a heavenly egg sauce, are oven-baked, neatly packaged in brown paper. (...)

Pg. 121:  _Flan_ figures in another tempting dessert, Cup Lolita, a combination of ice-cream, the custard and fruit sauce.  It is on all menus; we have even had it at a little _lecheria_ for ten cents.  The third incarnation of Cuban custard has an appealing name, "bacon-from Heaven," _tocino del cielo_, for it is sliced like (Pg. 122-ed.) bacon, from a long "side."  Since this is extremely rich, quite like a paste, a small portion will suffice.  La Zaragozana is the place to get it.

Pg. 123:  IN-BETWEEN-TIME IDEAS FOR YOUR APPETITITE: _Pierna_ sandwiches--pig's leg, sliced thin and sandwiched with slices of sharp, tart pickle.  These are fun to have at the market around three or four in the morning when the place bustles with produce merchants and the roosters and turkeys call to their mates.  The nicest sandwich of all, however, is the famous _media noche_ or midnight, named for the time it was originally served.  You get what starts out as an oval, yellow, semi-sweet bun, which goes on to fill itself generously with wafer-thin slices of Spanish sausage, turkey or chicken, _pierna_, sharp pickle, ham, and cheese.  Then _you_ go on to finish at least two or three.

Pg. 125:  Huge glasses of _pina colada_--clear and strained pineapple juice, also the juices of ripe grapefruit, oranges, tamarinds, and countless others--are the best five cents' worth you ever bought at any sidewalk stand.

Pg. 271:  _Glossary_ (Mostly obvious food terms here--ed.)
(...)
_Ajiaco_--Cuban vegetable potage, as typical as _arroz con pollo_ (...)
_Americanos locos_--crazy Americans
_Anon_--Cuban fruit
_Aplatanado_ (a)--gone native
_Arrollando_--to get hot; go to town (slang)
_Arroz con mariscos_--rice with seafood
_Arroz con pollo_--chicken and rice
(...)(Pg. 272--ed.)
_Barquillas_--pastry cornucopias for dunking in ice-cream (...)
_Berberechos_--tiny Spanish clams
_Berros_--water-cress
_Bocadito_--sandwich
_Bodega_--grocery store (...)
_Cafe solo_--black coffee
_Calamares_--squid
_Caldo Gallego_--Spanish peasant soup
_Cangrejito_--pastry _hors d'oeuvres_
_Cangrejo Moro_--stone crab
(...)(Pg. 273--ed.)
_Cena_--midnight supper, midnight feast (...)
_Chusma_--crowd, gang.  Slang for the common people.
_Ciento en boca_--hundred in a mouthful--name of tiny bananas (...)
_Cubiche_--Cuban (slang)
(...)(Pg. 274--ed.)
_Daiquiri_--cocktail made of rum, lime juice and sugar, sometimes frappeed (...)
_Fabada_--Spanish bean stew (...)
_Frita_--little round hamburger
_Fruta bomba_--Cuban euphemism for the _papaya_ melon (...)
_Gallego_--native of Galicia, Spain.  In Cuba he represents the country bumpkin.
_Galleta_--cracker.  Slang--blow.
(...)(Pg. 275--ed.)
_Huevos al nido_--eggs-on-the-nest, a special dish (...)
_Langosta_--Cuban lobster
_Langostina_--little lobster; Cuban slang for a lady with ample hips (...)
_Las Fritas_--roadside honky-tonks (slang, originally used to designate hot-dog stands)
(...)(Pg. 276--ed.)
_Media Noche_--Cuban club sandwich.  Also, midnight (...)
_Mejillones_--Spanish mussels in sauce (...)
_Merienda_--afternoon tea (...)
_Mojito_--a rum Collins, typical Cuban drink
(...)(Pg. 277--ed.)
_Papaya_--tropical melon whose name has an obscene connotation in Cuba  (See past ADS-L posts--ed.) (...)
_Paseando_--out for a good time (...)
_Pina colada_--strained pineapple juice (...)
_Pisto Manchego_--glorified scrambled eggs, done in the style of Mancha province (...)
_Rancho de mariscos_--mixed seafood grill
(...)(Pg. 278--ed.)
_Rosa de maiz_--popcorn; literally, roses of corn
_Rosquilla_--doughnut
_Rueda de pargo_--red-snapper steak (...)
_Salto de Cama_--negligee; literally, jump-out-of-bed
(...)(Pg. 279--ed.)
_Tocino del cielo_--extra-rich custard, literally, bacon-from-Heaven (...)
_Turista_--tourist (rarely a compliment)
_Turron_--a Spanish nougat candy imported to Cuba for the Christmas holiday season (...)
_Vacunar_--catching the partner face to face in a Negro courtship dance (...)
_Viejo_--old man (used slangily in the sense of pal)