Food and sociability in nineteenth-century Cuba

This book is the result of an enormous and long research work in a dozen archives and repositories of Spanish and Cuban manuscripts. Also from the testimonies of numerous foreign travelers to the Island, during the 19th century, who were impacted by the issue of food, due to the differences in Cuban practices compared to those of their countries; as well as cookbooks, especially from 1856.
The theme of food introduces us to the realities and social problems in the period of formation of the Cuban nationality and the incidence of a broad cultural heritage that impacted the history of the Island, from the aborigines to the Hispanic footprint and the essential presence of the African and Caribbean legacy, already varied in itself.
The supply to the cities and the situation in the fields, eating habits and their distinction between social classes; the use of beverages and especially the diet of the mambises during the wars of independence are topics addressed in the book. This volume is accompanied by a large and delicious recipe book of 19th century Creole cuisine, a sample of the creative ingenuity of the Cuban people, with a selection of typical regional dish preparations.