"Havana Before Castro" – a Trip Back in Time

All Cubans dream of returning to Cuba someday, but sadly the Cuba of the 1950s, when Havana was truly the Paris of the Caribbean has been lost. Gone are the days when Cuba was truly an international destination with first class hotels and hundreds of bars, restaurants, and night clubs – from sketchy little neighborhood joints to fabulous casinos. Here you could hear Olga Guillot at the Tropicana and see spectacular stage shows under the stars. As today, the streets were filled with the latest American cars; only at that time, many were fresh from Detroit assembly lines. Buildings in even the poorest sections of the city were well kept and crisply painted.

Someday, Havana may regain some of its lost luster. Until then, a new book “Havana Before Castro” (Gibbs Smith Publisher, August 2008) takes you back in time to relive this great city at its prime. Author Peter Morruzi has put together a great collection of vintage photos in both color and black and white. The book documents life in Cuba from the beginnings of the Cuban republic to the glory days when locals and tourists packed Sloppy Joe's Bar and La Floridita --“the cradle of the daiquiri.”

In “Havana Before Castro,” you'll get a taste of a dynamic city where popular nightspots abounded along the Prado, central Havana's promenade, and along Calle 23 in Havana's Vedado district.

A chapter on the Havana Riviera provides stunning images on this resort casino where Cuban sculptors created beautiful pieces of art.

The Riviera's lobby is itself a work of art with a breathtaking circular staircase and architectural details that present the best of 50's modern.

We especially liked the chapter on “Life as an Habanero.” You can almost smell the aromas of fresh Cuban bread, strong café cubano, and fritas frying on a street corner grill, all carried along the streets of Havana by swift, sea-scented breezes.

“Havana Before Castro” is well researched and well written, providing an engaging read that goes beyond the beautiful photos. For those who remember these glory days, the book is truly a trip back in time. For those who never experienced Cuba before Castro, the book is a revelation: Havana was truly a beautiful, world-class city! Hope and pray that it can happen again!

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Photos accompanying this article are from the book, "Havana Before Castro," Copyright 2008 by Peter Morruzi

The Riviera Resort Casino in Havana.

Highlights of the lobby of the Riviera Resort Casino displays the works of Cuban artists and craftsmen.

“Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban” is our first book. It contains many classic Cuban recipes and favorite dishes.

Recipes range from simple, country-style fare, to more elaborate dishes that are suitable for entertaining. Although we have added our own twists over the years, our recipes are rooted in the classic dishes of Cuba. You won't find any "Nuevo Latino" or Pan-Latin recipes here!

Wherever possible we have made these dishes simple to prepare. You don't need to be a professional chef to create any of the recipes in this book.

You also won't find a lot of esoteric, hard to find, or expensive ingredients such as truffle shavings, couscous, arugula, or anything in aspic!

“Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban” is our latest book. Again, you'll find many classic Cuban recipes, this time with an emphasis on dishes that are great for parties. Although built around a Cuban party theme, "Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban" is NOT just a party book!

The recipes are just as easy to make for everyday eating. In fact, most of the recipes in our new book are simple and easy to prepare so you can make some great lunches and dinners at home.

So even if you're not in a party mood, you can treat yourself and your family to a delicious meal.

So which book is right for you? There is only one way to go – buy both! In these two volumes you will have a great compendium of classic Cuban food recipes. We give you everything you need to start cooking some great Cuban dishes for your family and friends.

Jamón ibérico may just be the ultimate ham. The ham, more properly called a jamón ibérico de bellota, (there are other types of ibérico ham, but this is the best) is made from the ibérico pig. The pigs are allowed to range free and, several weeks before slaughter, the pigs roam the nearby oak forests where they gorge themselves on fallen acorns. This diet and a dry curing process that the locals have used for generations produce this gold standard of hams.

It's almost hard to describe the experience. The ham is rich with fat, much of which is monounsaturated and therefore healthy, like olive oil. Sliced paper thin, it is only moderately chewy and the fat dissolves on the tongue like butter. No matter how you slice it, it's all about the flavor. Salty yet not overly “hammy” like most American hams, the ibérico has a subtle nutty taste.

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Pimientos de Padron

Pimientos de Padron, the tiny pepper from the village of Padron in Galicia Spain, are now available for home delivery.

The peppers are grown in Virginia with imported seeds to produce a pepper that is nearly identical to the original.

The traditional method for cooking these tender peppers is to sauté them in olive oil and serve with sea salt. You eat the who pepper – seeds and all – everything but the stem!

The box warns that you may occasionally get a little surprise: a HOT pepper. However, we ate a whole box the other night and never found one that wasn't sweet and light.

Find out more about these delicious peppers by clicking here.

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