Culture & Lifestyle

Music in Cuba is not culture — it is a way of life. Music is played, sung, and danced to on every corner. Cuba has given the world more music genres than almost any other country: Son, Salsa, Rumba, Cha-Cha-Chá, Mambo, Bolero, Timba, Reggaeton — all have their roots here.

Son Cubano

The Son is the root of all Cuban music — emerging at the end of the 19th century in eastern Cuba, a fusion of Spanish guitar music and African rhythms. The Son is the precursor of Salsa and became world-famous through the Buena Vista Social Club project (1997) — Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo all played Son.

Salsa

Salsa, as we know it, originated in the 1960s in New York — but the basic ingredients are Cuban: Son, Mambo, Guaracha. In Havana, Salsa is danced everywhere — in clubs, on the street, at the Malecón. Cubans dance differently than in dance schools: earthier, faster, more spontaneous. Casino is the Cuban Salsa style — in a circle (Rueda de Casino) or as a partner dance.

Rumba

Afro-Cuban drums, singing, and dance — the Rumba is the most direct connection to Cuba's African roots. Best experienced on Sundays in the Callejón de Hamel (Centro Habana) — where Bata drums, singing, and dance create a spiritual experience together.

Reggaeton & Timba

The youth dance to Reggaeton (Cuban Reggaeton is rougher than Puerto Rican) and Timba — an aggressive, jazzy evolution of Salsa that exists only in Cuba. Bands like Los Van Van and Havana D'Primera fill every club.

Cuban cuisine has an unfair reputation — for decades, it was indeed monotonous due to the scarcity economy. But since the opening of Paladares (private restaurants), it is experiencing a renaissance: Creole cuisine with Caribbean, Spanish, and African influences, freshly prepared and lovingly served.

The Most Important Dishes

• Ropa Vieja: Braised beef in tomato sauce — Cuba's national dish. Tender, flavorful, perfect with rice and beans.
• Moros y Cristianos: Black beans with white rice — "Moors and Christians". The base of every Cuban meal.
• Lechón asado: Slowly grilled pork, marinated in Mojo (garlic, lime, oregano). The festive meal.
• Congri: Rice with red beans — the eastern Caribbean version of Moros.
• Tostones & Maduros: Fried plantains (unripe = Tostones, ripe = Maduros). Cuba's alternative to fries.
• Yuca con mojo: Boiled cassava root with garlic-lime sauce. Simple and delicious.
• Langosta (lobster): Surprisingly affordable in Cuba — grilled lobster with butter and lime for 15–25€ in a Paladar. Unthinkable in Europe.

Drinks

• Mojito: Rum, lime, sugar, mint, soda water — the cocktail invented in Havana. 2–5€ depending on the bar.
• Daiquirí: Rum, lime, sugar — frozen or classic. The Hemingway version (Papa Doble): double rum, grapefruit, no sugar.
• Cuba Libre: Rum, cola, lime — the simplest and cheapest cocktail. In every bar.
• Havana Club: Cuba's most famous rum. 3 años (for cocktails), 7 años (neat, for savoring), Selección de Maestros (the Rolls-Royce).
• Cristal & Bucanero: The two Cuban beers. Cristal is lighter (lager), Bucanero stronger (stout-like). 1–2€ per bottle.
• Cafecito: Cuban espresso — strong, sweet, small. Sold on the street for centavos.

Santería (officially: Regla de Ocha) is Cuba's most fascinating cultural peculiarity — an Afro-Cuban religion that merges the Yoruba beliefs of West African slaves with the Catholicism of the Spanish colonizers. An estimated 70–80% of Cubans practice Santería in some form — often alongside Catholicism.

The Orishas

At the center are the Orishas — deities, each associated with a Catholic saint (to hide the worship from the colonizers):

• Yemayá (goddess of the sea) = Virgen de Regla. Color: Blue.
• Changó (god of thunder, war, masculinity) = Santa Bárbara. Color: Red.
• Oshún (goddess of love, freshwater) = Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. Color: Yellow.
• Elegguá (lord of crossroads, opener of doors) = San Antonio. Color: Black-Red.
• Obatalá (creator god) = Virgen de las Mercedes. Color: White.

Visible in Everyday Life

Santería is visible everywhere in Havana: people in completely white clothing (Iyawó — newly initiated, who wear white for a year), beaded necklaces in Orisha colors, offerings at street corners (food, coins, rum), altars in homes. It is not folklore — it is a lived faith.