Cuban History Through Food: Yucasabi
About Yucasabi Restarurant
“Yucasabi is a restaurant owned by two owners from Eastern side of the island where the remaining Indigenous descendants live. About 24 hours from Habana by car. They will do a short presentation on the importance of casava to the history of Cuba.
And on that note, while you eat you will be guided through Cuba’s history with America and all the interconnecting points with a museologist & historian. Please be aware that Cuba has a very long & complex history & it is being shortened to 1 hour and 15 minutes so this is just an overview in the most digestible way possible! This chat provides you with a great launching point to understand all that will come in the next few days.” - Reroot Travel - www.reroottravel.com
Yucasabi is a locally owned private restaurant located in Habana Vieja (Old Havana), Cuba. The prime location to experience contemporary Cuban vibes and the essence of Cuba’s past. Yucasabi served a meticulously prepared three-course meal centered around yucca, accompanied by yucca-infused alcoholic beverages.
In an attempt to reclaim their Indigenous roots, they opened this restaurant where everything is made with yucca, a root endemic to this island. - ReRoot Travel - www.reroottravel.com
Yucasabi - 100% Artisan Casbe de Cuba
@yucasabi on Instagram
NBC Article Featuring one of Yucasabi’s owner
Yucasabi Google Maps, Yucasabi Instagram, Yucasabi Facebook, Yucasabi Tripadvisor
Getting there:
Upon our arrival at the airport, we were swiftly transported in a stunning classic American car, setting the tone for our Cuban adventure. After a whirlwind stop to drop off our luggage, we embarked on a brisk walk guided by our enthusiastic tour leader. The heat & humidity did not dampen our spirits; rather, it added to the true Cuban experience.
Arriving inside Yuacasbi, we were greeted by a grand 3D mural of indigenous people working and harvesting yucca. Then, we met one of the owners of Yuasabi, a Cuban historian, and the historian’s wife. It felt like being invited and greeted by a tight-knit community ready to serve. We were excited to start our trip with heat, humidity, history, and food.
Yucasabi’s dining room and mural dedicated to the Taino Indigenous culture and people from Eastern side of Cuba
Learning directly from Cubans: my firsthand experience
Background:
As a Vietnamese-American, I know what it’s like to have your family’s country of origin villainized. The only U.S.-based school lessons about Cuba or Vietnam were in the context of war. In school, we were only taught about the war as told by the perceived “victors” and “saviors”. When in actuality, the US retreated from Vietnam and accepted war refugees due to domestic pressures, international obligations, and political factors. The United States had been deeply involved in the Vietnam War, and the evacuation of refugees was seen as a moral obligation to some extent, given the U.S. role in the conflict. Additionally, supporting refugees from Vietnam was seen as a way to counter the negative perceptions of U.S. involvement in the war and demonstrate a commitment to human rights.
The US got involved in Vietnam and Cuba due to a perceived threat to its interests and as a way to oppose the spread of communism. Cuba has a similar, yet distinctly different history with the US. In order to form my own opinions, I needed to make a visit.
Thus, I came to Cuba to hear directly from Cubans.
The Conversation:
It was a unique experience to get a history lesson from a professional Cuban historian. The presentation actually felt more like being invited into a nuanced conversation among Cubans reviewing historical facts about their country. The historian, his wife, our guide, and one of the co-owners of Yucasabi were all involved in the conversation. Our guide and the historian’s wife interjected with much-appreciated nuanced details to the history lessons and stories. They were all reminiscing & confirming with each other what was true and what had more to the story.
It was our guide’s first time seeing the presentation alongside us. She’s a professional tour guide and relished in the perpetual learning about Cuba as a way to share knowledge. Hearing her interject with “It’s true!” made the whole presentation feel more like a dinner party conversation than a PowerPoint lecture.
However, we did not hear anything about Fidel! Dessert was being served. The historian was packing up his laptop. “Wait, what about Fidel?” I slightly buzzed and exclaimed. “ Fidel is a whole presentation on his own.”, says the historian. A synchronized head nodding from everyone else at the table signifies that Fidel’s legacy justifiably is not a topic that one can condense into one conversation over lunch.
During a recap of the trip, Kiona tells me it’s probably because Cubans are inundated with Fidel in their schooling and that a single presentation wouldn’t even begin to scratch the surface of everything Cubans learn about Fidel.
Cassava, Casabe, Singkong, and Yucca - all the same root vegetables grown in many equatorial countries around the world.
Cassava is an endemic root vegetable in Cuba with significant importance in other parts of the world like Indonesia. @cosmicwriter provided by Unsplash
Selfie with friends in Indonesia eating singkong aka cassava aka yuca in Indonesia
My first experience eating cassava was in Indonesia. There it’s called ‘singkong’. Widely grown in Indonesia and is a staple carbohydrate in their diet. Many warungs and convenience stores have an entire section of cassava chips and snacks.
Singkong Keju D9 in Salatiga, Indonesia
Singkong Keju D9 Instagram
I had no idea that cassava was an imported commodity given its wide availability everywhere in Indonesia.
Casabe aka Yuca in Yucasabi
Then as the universe loves to serve interconnectedness in my travels, the first activity in my Cuba itinerary was about the indigenous importance of cassava.
“Casabe is a synonym for strength and resilience”
- Sonia Virgen Pérez, president of Cuba’s National Heritage Council
One of the owners of Yucasabi explaining each course and telling us about their efforts to petition the UN to declare yucca a UNESCO cultural heritage.
Yucasabi served us a meticulously prepared three-course meal centered around yucca, accompanied by yucca-infused alcoholic beverages. Their intention is to bring the indigenous cultural past to the lively city of Havana.
However, unlike Indonesia, Cuba has significant logistical difficulties transporting the root vegetable from the East side of the island to Havana.
Hence, the owners of Yucasabi mentioned that Cuba’s National Heritage Council along with several other countries are petitioning UNESCO to include the tradition of harvesting yuca and preparing and consuming casabe to its cultural heritage list.
“Casabe is an Amerindian tradition that came from northern South America and made its way to the Antilles,”
- Sonia Virgen Pérez, president of Cuba’s National Heritage Council.
The Menu:
Here’s a video showcasing the 3 courses and yucca-infused drinks: Yucasabi Food Video
1st - Casava-infused Colada cocktail & Tapas - three different toppings on a crisp cracker made of yucca
2nd- Casava-infused Mojito-like cocktail (but way better than a mojito) & Ropa Vieja inside a casava bowl with rice and beans, raw casava with creole dressing, and salad
3rd - Casava-infused tequila cocktail & Dessert - casava cracker topped with queso cubes and a coconut-like pudding.
Dranks with Vitamin R
Struggling with my evolution from being a people-pleaser, while also abstaining from alcohol, I found myself in a dilemma as they presented the yuca-infused cocktails. They served 3 unique cocktails complementing each course. I was nervous about drinking so much.
With Cuba's resources already stretched thin, I was wary of appearing as an unappreciative or wasteful guest. I drank the first one out of respect. But I knew I wouldn’t last long.
Fortunately, my guide came to my rescue. The serving sizes exceeded a single person's appetite, allowing my boyfriend and me to share, while our guide indulged in the delightful 3-course meal for the first time. I was so grateful that she helped us. In Vietnamese culture, food and drinks are community events. Including our guide in the festivities felt more like a dinner table conversation rather than a history presentation by a Cuban historian.
During our interaction, the Cuban historian cautioned about the "Vitamin R" in our drinks. Vitamin Rum. Cuba has a long history with Rum. The Bacardi factory was once headquartered in Havana. Our rum and yuca-infused drinks were the social lubricant for the experience. “Vitamin R” turned into an inside joke and fostered a unique connection between us all at the table.
This was only the beginning of Cuba’s charm.
Conclusion
The seamless fusion of our love for both food and history was the perfect way to start our week-long trip to Cuba. This culinary experience served as the eccentric backdrop to a presentation that highlighted the significance of cassava in Cuban cuisine, intertwined with a concise yet informative overview of Cuba's rich historical tapestry. The Cuban charm and community-centered interactions made this one of the most unique and welcoming ways to fall in love with Cuba.
