Cuban cuisine has been enjoyed in many American cities with a significant Cuban-American population for many years now. Although Cuban cuisine may not be as familiar to Americans as Mexican food, Cuban restaurants are becoming popular in American cities that didn't have them before. As Cuban Americans have settled in communities outside of areas where they have a large population such as Miami and New Jersey, Cuban eateries in these new communities have opened. Additionally, Cuban cuisine cookbooks are found in bookstore shelves where other cookbooks are stocked.

At its core, a typical Cuban dish consists of black beans and rice with a choice of beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. Other foods such as yuca (root vegetable) and platanos (bananas) are also commonly served with a meal. The cuisine is strongly influenced by Spanish, African, and other Carribean foods. For example, Spanish paella is often found in Cuban restaurant menus. In Cuba and in many Cuban-American communities, the cuisine is called comida criolla (creole food) because some of the root vegetables and fruits that are native to the Carribean are typically served with many Cuban meals.

If you would like to savor Cuban food but are unsure where you can find a Cuban restaurant near you, a recommended source to check out on the web is called Three Guys from Miami. This site is put together by two brothers and a friend who have travelled all over the country reviewing Cuban restaurants. They provide a listing of all the restaurants they've visited. The site is highly entertaining and includes some stories behind the origins of Cuban dishes.

For Cuban recipes, a cookbook titled Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Mary Urrutia Randelman is recommended. The book not only offers many recipes but many anecdotes about the origins of these recipes.

If you enjoy the tropics or would like to serve up your friends and family with a delicious and refreshing treat, one of the best ways to do that is with tropical fruit. If you happen to be located in Asia in a country such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam or the Philippines it can be quite easy to come by tropical fruit. Even in other locations around the world you can still easily access many different varieties of tropical fruit. There are some excellent varieties to try and sample including rambutan, durian and jackfruit. There are many benefits to tropical fruit including the fact that they are nutritious as well as very tasty. Tropical fruit is also full of vitamins and minerals so there are plenty of good reasons to eat it regularly.

Durian is also known as the King of Fruits. The main feature that you might notice about this fruit is the fact that it has a very distinctive smell. It also has a unique and truly delicious taste. One thing that you should know about this fruit is that it is particularly large and has a hard skin. It is well known for being high in Vitamin C as well as potassium.

Rambutan is also known as Nephelium lappaceum. This fruit is most commonly red but you might also see it in orange or yellow. The word Rambut in Malay means hairs. One look at this fruit and you will see why it is called this. The fruit contained inside Rambutan is actually quite sweet. You should keep in mind that raw Rambutan seed can be poisonous but it is fine to eat after it has been cooked. Rambutan is high in calcium and iron as well as Vitamins C and A. Many experts believe that eating this fruit on a regular basis will decrease the chance of developing cancer.

Jackfruit is often considered to be one of the largest fruit trees in the world. This fruit is also known as Artocarpus heterophyllus. The yellow pulp of this fruit can be easily and safely eaten raw. The seeds of the Jackfruit should be cooked and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Jackfruit contains both Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as calcium and iron. It is thought that Jackfruit can help to reduce the blood pressure due to the fact that it contains potassium. In fact, many native medicine people use the root of this plant to make medicine for curing fever, diarrhea and treating skin and asthma problems.

Whether you live in a tropical environment or you simply enjoy eating the fruits of the tropics, there are many health benefits associated with eating tropical fruit on a regular basis. There are also many ways in which tropical fruit can be enjoyed, including having it for breakfast, as a snack or as a side dish for a main meal. You can also incorporate tropical fruit into many main dishes.