Customer Reviews

Havana Salsa: Stories and Recipes

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The last 10 years have brought a wealth of "growing up Cuban" memoirs, most notably "Waiting for Snow in Havana," "Tropicana Nights," and "Finding Mañana." Funny thing is, we just can't get enough of them. We guess it's because they bring memories of a Cuba we can only dream about -- the glory days of Cuba that are slowly fading in our memories.

Viviana Carballo has added to the mix with a delightful account of her own rather eccentric family's experiences both BC (Before Castro) and after. Reading this book is a little like pulling up a stool and listening to the stories of a favorite (albeit a little saucy) great aunt. As in many homes of the time and especially in the better homes of Havana, Carballo's mother cooked only occasionally, mostly for holidays and special occasions. The real culinary magic was performed by Dulce, the Carballo's cook and a devout follower of Santeria -- a religion that combines African mystic belief with Catholic faith. It was here that Viviana Carballo first learned the basics of Cuban cuisine, in a kitchen that was quite literally watched over by the Gods.

For those who survived the "revolution," no Cuban life story is without pain and suffering and Carballo's experiences are especially heartrending. Her father is branded a counter-revolutionary and locked up in one of Castro's gulags where he dies after two years of inhumane treatment. When she decides to flee the island, she must leave her husband behind, a horrible Sophie's choice that no woman should ever be faced with.

Carballo seasons her narrative with some 70 recipes for Cuban dishes, some very traditional, although there is a strong emphasis on dishes from the mother country, Spain. Some are pure Gallego: you'd be hard pressed to find Blue Cheese Circles, St. James Almond Tart, or Christmas Turkey with Catalan stuffing on a traditional Cuban menu, but this broadening of the Cuban food repertoire only adds to this book's appeal. There is even a recipe for filloas, the Spanish version of French crepes. Thick and almost rustic in appearance, these hearty pancakes make a great wrapper for a wide range of fillings both sweet and savory.

Cuban dessert fanatics (and we hear from them weekly at our website) will enjoy several rarely published dessert recipes including one for Brazo Gitano (quite literally Gypsy's arm) a classic jelly roll cake traditionally filled with sweet guava filling and topped with candied fruits and shredded coconut, but here stuffed with a citrus cream and garnished simply with powdered sugar and orange slices. Meringue loving foodies will be inspired by the capitolios, a chocolate cake-like confection topped with fluffy meringue -- although the author does admit to taking the easy way out and using a commercial brownie mix for the cake.

We have only begun to sample the recipes, but one clearly stands out: a new twist on enchilado de camarones, a very typical dish of sautéed shrimp in a creole sauce, here made less typical with the addition of coconut milk and a bit of a spicy kick.

Havana Salsa is an excellent read and the recipes are an added bonus!

This is a lovely book full of great stories and great recipes. Loved it!

Being from Havana myself and coming over to the States as a 12 year old I can relate to not only some of her stories but the way it has been written is so true to life in Cuba during that era. Love her recipes, brings back very old memories.

Vivian St Pierre

I really like that this is a cookbook that is not a cookbook....she provides such fabulous imagery of Cuba in its hey day. I am mesmerized by the tales and delight in completing an admittedly...."This is the way I remember it" recipe!

Havana Salsa:Stories and Recipes is just that, a wonderful recounting of a girl's life in pre-Castro Cuba with eccentric and very colorful relatives and family friends and the comfort foods they cooked. An excellent story teller, Viviana Carballo intertwines her stories with recipes that bring back nostalgia as the smells and tastes of Cuba come alive throughout this book. As a fellow Cuban I enjoyed the author's character descriptions, recounting of familiar places, interesting anecdotes and the many memories she shares with her readers. The recipes are easy to follow and characteristically Cuban. This little gem is a delightful read.

A touching story of how promptly a life can change, and how cuisine and food memories tend to support us, even without knowing ourselves that food memories can sustain us emotionally

Great Stories & Recipts Have Enjoyed It & Plan On Doing Some Of The Recipes Rabin