As most of you know this year was a historic year as the USA opened up new relationships and an embassy with Cuba for the first time in 56 years. That means that American citizens can get reacquainted with Cuba for the first time in over 50 years. You still have to declare on your visa that you are traveling for educational purposes, but hey! We’ll take it!

Cuba has really had a very interesting 56 years since our break-up, particularly in regards to food. As most of us are aware, Cuba and the Soviet Union were best buds so the USA shut her doors to Cuba even though she is only 90 miles away. But what most Americans don’t know is that Cuba almost starved when the Soviet Union collapsed in1989.

The USSR and the soviet bloc were major import/export trading partners that supplied them with 80% of their food and oil so when they went under so did Cuba. During this crisis called “The Special Period” (what was so special about it??) the caloric intake of the Cuban people dropped 50%. Dogs and cats disappeared from the landscape, these people were starving! On top of it all, since oil wasn’t being traded, the fields went untilled by the useless tractors. Things were looking bleak for Cuba as America turned a baleful eye on anyone interested in helping our neighbors.

Then an innovative miracle happened in 1993 when a group of Australians broke rank and brought the concept of permaculture to Cuba. Now, permaculture is a way of farming that uses everything in nature to create a cooperative system that works together to nourish everything, not just the people. It’s kinda hard to explain but basically it is farming with what ya got and giving back to the land. Cuba really employed this form of sustainable agriculture and in a few short years became a self-sufficient island.

One great example of this is Havana. It is a very large city, roughly the size of L.A. and with permaculture the people were encouraged to grow food anywhere and everywhere. Parking lots were torn up, meridians were tilled, planter boxes built and now Havana grows 60% of its own food, right there in the city! Wow.

Through necessity, Cuba has become a world model of sustainably and innovation in agriculture. In 2013 the International Permaculture Convention was held in Cuba with many flocking to its shores to learn from them. Talk about overcoming adversity! Our country has a lot to learn from them as they feed their country with organic produce and nourish their land while doing it.

One thing that Cuba has learned is to use what they have and make their food with dynamic flavors of the tropics. If there’s one thing that turns up the volume on the taste of anything, it’s Cuban mojo sauce. Pronounced mo-ho, this sauce is a combination of garlic, citrus juices and herbs that makes a terrific marinade or as a dipping sauce.

This is the roast pork recipe developed by rock star chef, Roy Choi, for the movie “Chef”. (If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it!) This pork roast has the citrusy garlicy flavors that are distinctively Cuban that brighten the dark days of November. It’s like a party in your mouth! Use left overs to make the famous Cubano sandwich that is immensely popular in Miami. Make sure and start the recipe the night before so it can marinade. Buen provecho!