The delicious local stews, custard flans and deep fried treats from the Caribbean island that invented the mojito.

Cuban food is best summed up by a bubbling pot of traditional ajiaco stew. The aji peppers that form its base were originally grown by the island’s indigenous inhabitants, while Spanish settlers introduced the pork, dried beef, chicken and fish which also make up the dish. The yams, sweet potato and taro root, meanwhile, were popularised by the many thousands of African slaves who worked on the island’s sugar plantations in the 19th century. More so than its geography and produce, a history peppered with waves of immigration has shaped the fascinating array of dishes being made for dinner in Cuban kitchens today. Writers Mses Imogene Tondre and Madelaine Vázquez Gálvez shed light on the country’s diverse culinary identity in Cuba: The Cookbook, published on 1 June. It’s a compendium of Cuban home cooking, from golden arepas to rib-sticking stews, kaleidoscope-coloured shrimp cocktails to toothsome caramel custards. We asked Ms Tondre to share some tips on the basics of Cuban food. Read on for an insight into a complex cuisine, as rich in history as the island itself.

To embrace Cuban food, first understand the key ingredients. One of the most crucial is aji, or peppers, which come in traffic-light shades of green, red and orange. “In Cuban cuisine, the pepper is used in pastas, sauces, salads, and they are also stuffed and grilled,” writes Ms Tondre.

Bitter oranges (sometimes called Seville oranges), impart rounded, sweet-and-sour notes into a classic mojo sauce – something Cubans are very fond of – in which their juice is simply blended with garlic. If you can’t find them, according to Ms Tondre, “some chefs recommend mixing two parts sweet orange juice, one part lime and one part grapefruit juice”.

Ground corn, or maìz molido is another essential. It’s mixed with water and kneaded briefly to make arepas (little golden griddle cakes, usually topped with chopped fresh vegetables, fish or meat), and as a thickener for casseroles and soups. “Find it in latino grocery stores,” says Ms Tondre. Grated fresh coconut; calabaza pumpkins (easily substituted for squash); tocino, or salted pork; and tasajo – a type of dried salted beef – are also important additions to the Cuban pantry.

**Frying **

Cuban cooks know how to do snacks: little deep fried morsels, from crisp, parsley-flecked fish croquetas to sweet-and-salty pumpkin fritters, golden chunks of fried plantain and round doughnuts drenched in sticky cinnamon sugar are further evidence of how the country’s food has been informed by its immigrant populations. “Fried foods are extremely common and popular,” explains Ms Tondre, “and found in restaurants and homes”. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat a neutral-flavoured oil, such as vegetable, until sizzling hot (test with a piece of bread: it should hiss and turn golden). Snacks such as croquetas and fritters should be cooked for three to four minutes, then drained on kitchen paper before eating with a very cold beer.

**Pressure cooking **

A perennial 1970s favourite, the pressure cooker has made a comeback in the UK in recent years, but in Cuban kitchens, it’s always been a mainstay. “Some homes still boast pressure cookers from the Soviet era on the island,” says Ms Tondre. Dried beans and legumes are a staple of many of the dishes in Cuba: The Cookbook, and using a pressure cooker drastically reduces their cooking time to around 45 minutes. It’s a key technique to master, therefore, when it comes to making the soups and stews often eaten at the start of a meal in Cuba: bolstering black beans cooked with vegetables and spices; green split pea soup with chunks of potato; or Galician soup, with fat pieces of salty cured ham.

Rice cooking

“In Cuba, rice is considered a staple and eaten almost every day,” says Ms Tondre. There are hundreds of variations, but most rice dishes start with a basic sofrito made up of onion, garlic, peppers and tomato paste. The rice is usually simmered then left to stand, covered, until the liquid has been soaked up. At Christmas, rice is cooked slowly with pork shoulder and red beans; in the east of the island it’s sautéed separately then simmered with black beans and cumin; while 19th-century Chinese immigrants introduced fried rice dishes, which come heaped with cooked chicken and pork loin.

**Using a bain-marie **

Many recipes in Cuba: The Cookbook call for a baño de maria, or bain-marie. “This is a method in which a pan or dish of food is placed in a larger pot of water,” says Ms Tondre. “The water bath tempers the heat and makes for gentler, more even cooking.” The technique is often used for desserts such as flans, caramels and baked custards. The sweet tooth which forms part of Cuban culinary tastes can be attributed to the island’s once-thriving sugar plantations. “Many master pastry chefs arrived from Europe during the colonial period, and taught domestic slaves to make cakes, cookies and so on,” says Ms Tondre. Cuba’s legacy as one of the world’s most prominent sugar producers remains in thick, egg-enriched dulce de leche with custard, wobbly yuca flans, and coconut puddings with mango and guava.

No introduction to Cuban cooking would be complete a mention of its most famous cocktail export. Said to be invented in 1942 at La Bodeguita del Medio, a bar in Old Havana, the classic cocktail combines muddled sugar, lime and aged white rum, served in chilled glasses. It is then topped up with soda and finished with ice and a sprig of mint. Just add sunshine.

Cuba: The Cookbook (Phaidon) by Mses Madelaine Vázquez Gálvez and Imogene Tondre is out on 1 June