We have all eaten it at some point. It's simple, but it doesn't disappoint: fried egg, rice and tomato sauce. You can add sausage and/or banana. It's not very complicated, it's cheap and it's delicious. That is probably the secret of its success. But where is its origin?
Its name says that it comes from Cuba, but the truth is that Cubans do not currently include it in their usual diet, although it is true that white rice is basic in the diet of the Caribbean country, but it is accompanied by black beans or meat. .
However, as Cuban historian Ismael Sarmiento explains in his book Food and Social Relations in Colonial Cuba, “in 19th century Cuba they used to eat soft-boiled, stewed, fried, fried, omelette, or stuffed eggs.” Sarmiento adds: “The fried and fried eggs were served with a sauce made of tomato, boiled rice and, sometimes, fried ripe banana.” That is, what today would be Cuban-style rice.
According to this historian, the influence of the Spanish who went to Cuba was decisive for the appearance of Cuban-style rice. These Spaniards returned to their land of origin, in many cases to the Canary Islands, where the recipe made a fortune. That is why today in the archipelago geographically located in Africa, Cuban rice is one of the star dishes.
The origin, then, is in Cuba or in the Canary Islands? Well, it depends on whether we consider that it was the Canarians who brought the dish to Cuba or whether the fact of being in the Caribbean was decisive for its creation and its subsequent export to Spain. Be that as it may, both Cuba and the Canarian emigrants had an influence on Cuban-style rice. Cultural and gastronomic exchange was constant in the colonial era.
Cuban-style rice is one of the most cooked dishes in Spain, especially when the cook is in a hurry or is too lazy to spend a long time in front of the stove. It is also the star dish in student flats and school cafeterias.
Perhaps one of its secrets is that mix between sweet and salty, with the introduction of banana in the recipe. The custom of combining fruit with salty foods is very common in the Caribbean and for this reason it is considered that Cuba had a fundamental role in its creation. And, of course, when the idea arrived in the Canary Islands, it was easy to adapt it, thanks to the quality and abundance of bananas from this territory, with designation of origin.
Cuban-style rice is, therefore, a Cuban-Canarian invention, but today it is a dish that is more Spanish than Cuban. If you go to Havana and ask for Cuban rice in a restaurant, they will look at you strangely. On the other hand, if you ask for it in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, they will understand you in a heartbeat.
The same as if you order a Russian salad in the center of Moscow or a French omelette in Bordeaux.
