1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (170 page)

The classic Cuban side dish.

Moros y cristianos
, “Moors and Christians,” is the traditional name for the classic Cuban side dish of black beans and rice. A pared-down version of the black bean soup that Cubans so cherish, moros y cristianos is conjectured by historians to date back to the 1500s, when the Spanish Christians fought the North African Moors over the acquisition of the Spanish city of Grenada. Christian loyalists, well established in Cuba at the time, named the dish after the struggle going on back home, and its nickname stuck, although today it may not be considered politically correct.

The preparation is simple: dried black beans are soaked and slowly stewed with a ham hock, ham bone, or pork rind, then flavored with
sofrito
(a sauté of onions, green peppers, garlic, and various herbs). The fragrant, velvety soft beans are either mixed into or served atop steamed white rice, and eaten alongside grilled meats or fish with golden disks of fried plantain—or enjoyed alone as an inexpensive, nourishing main course. Humble though it is, the dish is also celebratory; no late-night Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) feast is complete without it. You can find moros y cristianos throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, and wherever the dish appears it is considered lucky, a symbol of plenty and fertility, and a harbinger of spiritual renewal.

Where:
In Viña del Mar, Chile
, Moros y Cristianos, tel 56/32-320-9971,
morosycristianos.cl
;
in Miami
, Islas Canarias at two locations,
islascanariasrestaurant.com
;
in Los Angeles
, El Floridita, tel 323-871-8612,
elfloridita.com
;
in New York
, Cuba Restaurant, tel 212-420-7878,
cubanyc.com
;
in Burtonsville, MD
, Cuba de Ayer Restaurant, tel 301-476-9622,
cubadeayerrestaurant.net
.
Further information and recipes:
Tastes Like Cuba
by Eduardo Machado (2008);
cookstr.com
(search christians and moors).
See also:
Sopa de Frijoles Negros
;
Hoppin’ John
;
Red Beans and Rice
.

“Old clothes” is the literal translation of this traditional beef stew, which is said to have been invented in the Canary Islands—a Spanish sailor’s last stop on his voyage to the New World—and later adopted all over Latin America, with Cuba expressing particular devotion. The dish is a peasant-food staple featuring shredded flank steak, a juicy and flavorful but inexpensive cut, simmered for a long time with tomatoes and sometimes wine. Legends abound as to the origins of the name, but it seems fairly obvious: The shredded, stewed meat has a torn-up look suggesting wet rags. It may not be pretty, but its homely looks yield a comforting, stick-to-your-ribs main course.

There are, of course, many regional and local variations to the dish. In its native Canary Islands, it includes garbanzo beans, while in Argentina, it is made with lamb or goat instead of beef. In Brazil, they call it
roupa velha
, and often enjoy it on sandwiches; in Cuba, where it is most revered, it is enhanced with
sofrito
, a mellow sauté of onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes, scented with oregano. In many Tex-Mex joints across the U.S., meanwhile, it’s not uncommon to find
ropa vieja
as a filling for burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. But it is best on its own, served Cuban-style, with rice and plantains—a comforting, restorative old friend.

Where:
In Miami
, Islas Canarias at two locations,
islascanariasrestaurant.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Versailles restaurants at multiple locations,
versaillescuban.com
;
in Bellaire, TX
, Café Piquet, tel 713-664-1031,
cafepiquet.net
;
in New York
, Cuba Restaurant, tel 212-420-7878,
cubanyc.com
; Coppelia, tel 212-858-5001,
coppelianyc.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Memories of a Cuban Kitchen
by Mary Urrutia Randelman and Joan Schwartz (1992);
The Sugar Reef Caribbean Cookbook
by Devra Dedeaux (1991);
saveur.com
(search ropa vieja);
epicurious.com
(search ropa vieja).
See also:
Picadillo
.

Anticuchos—one of barbecue’s more unique offerings.

A favorite street snack in Peruvian cities,
anticuchos
are fragrant bite-size chunks of grilled beef heart on tiny bamboo skewers. In many European countries, beef, lamb, and calf hearts are stuffed and braised as main courses. But Peruvians serve up the specialty as casual fare, easily nibbled off of delicate skewers straight from the charcoal braziers of street vendors or, if homemade, sautéed with bacon in a heavy skillet.
Marinated overnight in a blend of red wine vinegar, cumin, fresh hot red chiles, dried green ancho chiles, and garlic, the hearts (and sometimes other organ meats) emerge savory and tender and ready for grilling.

Anticuchos were popularized in the U.S. in the 1960s by the lavish New York City restaurant La Fonda del Sol, formerly housed in the famed Time & Life Building. They featured it as an appetizer, prepared with beef heart as well as liver and kidneys, and marinated and grilled to perfection. Nowadays, it can be found in Peruvian and other South American restaurants across the country—often made out of nonorgan meats to suit American palates—but somehow it is most delicious hot off the coals, prepared by a vendor on an ancient side street in Lima.

Where:
In Houston
, Andes Café, tel 832-659-0063,
andescafe.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Picca, tel 310-277-0133,
piccaperu.com
;
in San Francisco
, Piqueo’s, tel 415-282-8812,
piqueos.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Art of South American Cooking
by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi (1991);
foodnetwork.com
(search anticuchos);
epicurious.com
(search anticuchos de lomo).

One of the most interesting corns still grown today, the Incan
choclo
was first cultivated in the fields of Cuzco and the Sacred Valley and still grows only in Peru’s coastal region. Often eaten boiled, alongside meat dishes, its pale yellow ears hold puffy, oversize kernels with a nutty, milky flavor and an enticingly chewy, hefty texture. It is also a key ingredient in Chile’s
cazuela de vacuno
, a rustic, filling beef stew studded with pumpkin and potato, and
pastel de choclo
, a savory pie made with beef, cumin, and raisins. In Ecuador, it is served toasted and appears in a variety of ceviches; in Venezuela, it is featured in the specialty
arepas de choclo
, fried corn cakes topped with fresh cheese. And in Buenos Aires, empanadas are sometimes filled with the white corn stew known as
humitas
, which is fortified with fat kernels of choclo.

All of these preparations are flavorful, but the very best treatment of all is the simplest, available at roadside stands all over Peru, where it is known as
choclo y queso
—grilled ears of corn slathered in fresh cheese.

Where:
In San Francisco
, Piqueo’s, tel 415-282-8812,
piqueos.com
;
in Provo, UT
, Pantruca’s, tel 801-373-9712,
pantrucas.com
;
in Wilmington, DE
, Pochi Restaurant, tel 302-384-6654,
pochiwinebar.com
.
Mail order:
amigofoods.com
.
Further information and recipes:
A Canon of Vegetables
by Raymond Sokolov (2007);
The Art of South American Cooking
by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi (1991);
saveur.com
(search beef chicken and corn pie).

Purple heirloom potatoes.

You may never have seen a purple cow, but a purple potato sighting has become a more and more distinct possibility: The earthy, nutty Peruvian native called
papa morada
has been finding fans worldwide, and is now being cultivated far from its homeland. Probably first grown about two thousand years ago, in the South American highlands of the Andes, the purple potato is one of the so-called heritage or heirloom varieties. Purple potatoes are generally small and dense, with dark-gray skin and flesh that has an amethyst glow when raw, and dulls slightly when cooked. Because they have a midrange starch content, they are equally suited to roasting, frying, or mashing, and with their mild, gentle flavor, they are ideal for combining with other potato varieties, adding a blush of glorious color. Now cultivated in the United States, purple potatoes are becoming easier to find, and are worth seeking out, especially at farmers’ markets. Their striking appearance aside, they’re better for you than regular potatoes, as they contain antioxidants such as anthocyanins (also found in plums and in “superfoods” such as blueberries), which is responsible for their color.

Mail order:
Specialty Produce, tel 619-295-3172,
specialtyproduce.com
(search purple potato); Melissa’s Produce, tel 800-588-0151,
melissas.com
.
Further information and recipes:
One Potato, Two Potato
by Roy Finamore and Molly Stevens (2001);
Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini
by Elizabeth Schneider (2001);
Nuevo Latino
by Douglas Rodriguez (2002);
New World Kitchen
by Norman Van Aken (2003);
The Art of South American Cooking
by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi (1991);
specialityproduce.com
(scroll produce list to find “potatoes fingerling purple peruvian”).

Just when the world thought it had seen every possible way a chicken could be cooked, along came the Peruvian rotisserie trend. With its juicy meat and pungent flavor, the chicken had such a broad appeal that it became the focus
of restaurants all over the U.S., and with good reason.

As the plump bird spins on a rotisserie, the very aroma can start mouths watering. And when it emerges with crisp, gently golden-brown skin protecting succulently moist meat, all to be dipped into a hotly seasoned, green
ají verde
or the milder, creamy, golden
ají amarillo
, a kind of magic has taken place.