20 dishes that you should definitely try in Cuba

Cuba has not only amazing color, wonderful people, magical beaches, but also the most delicious food in the Caribbean. From croquettes with melted cheese and ham to sweet plantains, Cuban cuisine offers you rich flavors and stunning flavors.

1. Known as the Cuban burger, fritta is a patty made of seasoned ground beef (sometimes mixed with chorizo), covered with crispy potato straws, and all this is between two Cuban buns. In some establishments, they even add scrambled eggs.

2. Corn on a skewer in Cuba is cooked in a special way. First, it is fried, then rolled in kotikha cheese, generously sprinkled with ground chili and at the end lemon juice is added, which gives this dish a richer and spicier taste.

3. Although Spain is the traditional place for making paella, in Cuba you will find a local version of this dish — there it is made from ham, chicken, clams, chorizo, shrimp and lobster.

4. There is nothing better than biting warm churros, sprinkled with powdered sugar, slightly crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. This is street food that you should definitely try, because watching how churros are cooked is already half the fun.

5. You may know these balls as croquettes, but in Cuba they are called croquetas — fried balls of melted soft cheese with slices of ham.

6. Although "ropa vieja" does not sound very appetizing (literally, this name means "old clothes" in Spanish), the dish itself is simply stunningly delicious and consists of chopped beef stewed in tomato sauce. It is usually served with rice or on tortillas.

7. Plantains (the fruit of the banana family, but more starchy and contains less sugar) are a must—have product of Cuban cuisine. Maduros plane trees are caramelized plane trees, lightly toasted to a brown, sticky and sweet state.

8. Huevos habaneros is a well—known Cuban egg dish consisting, in fact, of eggs cooked on sofrito (sauce of tomatoes, garlic, pepper and onions).

9. Chicharrones is a crispy fried pork crust, which is prepared either from pork skin or from the abdominal part.

10. Meat and potatoes, white rice and black beans in Cuban cuisine are a common dish known in Spanish as "moros and Cristianos".

11. Tostones, or chatinos, are fried plantains, a popular spicy side dish in Cuba.

12. A relative of ropa vieja — vaca fritta — translates as "fried cow" and consists of beef marinated in lime, garlic and salt, and then fried until crisp.

13. Flan is one of the traditional desserts in Cuba; a sweet smooth cake, similar to jelly in glaze. A harder form is prepared from caramel, eggs and milk.

14. The biggest difference between Cuban and Mexican tamales is that in Cuban meat (usually pork) is mixed with tamale dough, and not used as stuffing. Cubans also use corn to make tamales — it is not as sweet and more crumbly than American corn.

15. Lehon asado is a classic roast pork, which is prepared quite simply: the whole pig is fried until crisp, and then the meat is served with mojo sauce — spicy Cuban marinade.

16. Medianoche ("midnight" in Spanish) is similar to a Cuban sandwich and is usually served in Havana nightclubs (hence the name). Unlike the Cuban sandwich, there is no mayonnaise in medianoch — only ham, pork, cheese and pickled cucumbers between layers of egg bread.

17. Pulpeta is the Cuban equivalent of meatloaf, but it is not cooked in the oven. Instead, a mixture of seasoned ground beef and ham is cooked on the stove, and a hard-boiled egg is added inside.

18. The favorite chicken dish in Cuba — arroz con pollo — is similar to paella, but without seafood. The dish contains rice and chicken, as well as a traditional sofrito base.

19. Costillitas are ribs with a Cuban twist: they are marinated and served with a sauce of sour orange juice, lime juice, oregano, garlic and olive oil.

20. Picadillo cua cua is the Cuban version of scrambled eggs. It is usually served with rice, and chopped beef, eggs and plantains are also present in the dish.