Chapter 39
Authors: Estrella Gonzalez Noriega and Niurka Nunez Gonzalez
Title: History of Cacao and Chocolate in
Cuban Literature, Games, Music, and Culinary Arts.
Cuba has a rich cultural heritage that stems from its unique geographical location in the Caribbean. Cuba was a center for Spanish fleet operations, a reunion point for Spanish galleons returning to Spain loaded with treasures from the New World, and a debarkation point for conquest expeditions of the American continent. Providing food and supplies for the Spanish fleet and the Conquistadores required considerable hand labor. The arrival of different ethnic African groups to Cuban shores marked the birth of the Afro-Cuban traditions and their influence on different aspects of Cuban life, especially literature, music, and culinary practices. Prominent Cuban poets and novelists have included Jose Maria Heredia (1803-1839); Ramon de Palma y Romay (1812-1860); Gertrudis Gomez Avellaneda (1814-1873); Jose Marti, (1853-1895); Cirilo Villaverde, (1812-1894); Dolores Maria Ximeno y Cruz (1866--1934), and Miguel de Carrion (1875-1929); Dolores Maria Loynaz (1902-1997); and Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980). Numerous proverbs contain references to cacao or chocolate, among them: Es mas Viejo que el cacao de Mosquiter [He is older than the cacao from MosquiteroJ; Esta como agua para chocolate [He/she is like water for chocolate]; Toma chocolate, paga lo que debes [Drink your chocolate, and pay what you owe); and La cuentas claras, y el chocolate espeso [The accounts are in order, and the chocolate is well done]. Chocolate also figures prominently in the games of Cuban children, and especially is important in Cuban music through what are known as altar songs. Popular music contains numerous references to chocolate as in well known Alma Guajira [Guajira Soul) written by Ignacio Pineiro; El Bodeguero [The Groce] written by Richard Egues with its classic refrain -Drink chocolate, pay what you owe. We collected numerous chocolate recipes from Cuba and present them here, especially how to make chorote, a thick chocolate beverage, typical of Cuba. Chorote is considered an excellent food for children and adults, and appropriate for breakfast, afternoon snack, and especially good for supper when the weather is cold. Chorote, too, is considered good for lactating women as it is thought to stimulate the mammary glands and produce abundant milk for nursing infants. The importance of chocolate to Cuban history and culture is clearly demonstrated through the abundant references in Cuban literature, music, and culinary arts. Chocolate has as regional flavor within the nation, where it plays an integral role in daily meals throughout the year. It is difficult to separate chocolate as food from chocolate as medicine in the Cuban tradition.
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