Cuban cuisine is a fascinating mixture of cultures and ingredients drawn from the island's complex history and its wide-ranging natural resources. It includes the early influences of native Cuban Indians (with their manioc, taro root, corn and black beans) to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers with the cash crops of coffee and sugar as well as their stuffed roasted meats and peppers and, of course, the African slaves who brought okra, taro root and plantain. Today, all these are such important elements of Cuban cuisine that it seems as though they have always been present on the island. Add a little rum and some salsa music to the pot and the story of Cuban cuisine really begins to take shape! In A Taste of Cuba Beatriz Llamas takes us on a gastronomic tour of the Caribbean's biggest island: from appetizers, soups, main dishes, side dishes and desserts—and all the mouthwatering spices and ingredients (past and present) that are so popular and unique to Cuba.