- Flank steak, slow-braised and shredded
- Sofrito: tomato, onion, green pepper, garlic, cumin
- White rice, black beans, fried plantains
Ropa Vieja
Ropa vieja with black beans and rice, Cuba. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ropa vieja, 'old clothes', is Cuba's national dish: flank steak braised until it shreds into ribbons, then stewed in a sofrito of tomato, onion, green pepper and garlic. The name comes from the shredded-meat's resemblance to rags; the legend involves a poor man shredding his clothes into a pot.
It is Canarian in origin, perfected in Cuba. Served with moros y cristianos (black beans and rice), fried plantains and yuca con mojo (cassava with garlic-citrus sauce).
Key ingredients
Where to try it
- Paladares (private restaurants) in Havana: book ahead.
- Casa kitchens across the island.
- Eaten as the Sunday family meal.