{"id":3277,"date":"2017-12-01T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T16:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=3277"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:49","slug":"cuban-black-beans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2017\/12\/01\/cuban-black-beans\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuban Black Beans"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 1, 2017<\/span><\/p>\n

Black beans are ubiquitous on tables in Cuba.<\/p>\n

Getting beans to the right texture and the liquid to the right thickness is almost an art form.<\/p>\n

Food is scarce in Cuba\u2026at least if you\u2019re a Cuban paying in Cuban Pesos. Not so much if you\u2019re paying in CUCs (Cuban Convertible Pesos), which is what foreigners use. The CUC is pegged to the US Dollar but if you change Dollars for CUCs you pay a 10% penalty as opposed to exchanging another currency, say the Euro, for CUCs.<\/p>\n

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Prices in Cuban Pesos at a locals’ only market<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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One view of a locals’ only market<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another view of a locals’ only market<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I visited a butcher shop in Havana which pretty much now only sells chicken; when chicken is available, that is. If you notice the door to the cooler is open. That\u2019s because the cooler isn\u2019t on because there\u2019s no inventory.<\/p>\n

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A butcher shop in Havana<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The butcher is just waiting around for chicken to arrive.<\/p>\n

When that chicken does arrive, it will likely be frozen Tyson chicken from the United States. Even though, when this picture was taken, the US embargo of Cuba was in full force.<\/p>\n

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Most of the chicken in Cuba is frozen Tyson chicken from the United States<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The same is true of hot sauce. If one asks for hot sauce at a restaurant in Cuba one is likely to get a bottle of Tabasco shipped in from Avery Island, Louisiana. Clearly there are exceptions to the embargo for some American companies!<\/p>\n

If you pay in CUCs, the food available increases dramatically.<\/p>\n

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One stall in a multi-vendor market where prices are denominated in CUCs<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another stall in the same market<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Locally prepared beverages in the CUC-denominated market<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The disparity in prices for food purchased with Pesos vs CUCs is so large that average Cubans cannot afford to buy food with CUCs, even if they can get them. It takes 25 Cuban Pesos to buy one CUC. Paying in Pesos limits one to shopping in pretty-much locals’ only stores, with limited inventory where the products, like rice and beans, are sold at subsidized prices.<\/p>\n

Rum is widely available regardless of the currency.\u00a0 You’ll pay more if you’re a foreigner, however.<\/p>\n

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Havana Club is a popular brand of rum in Cuba<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A well-stocked bar ready for the day’s customers<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cuban cigars for sale at the bar<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After returning from the trip to Cuba in 2014, I tried but couldn\u2019t get the texture of my \u201cCuban\u201d black beans right. But then, my mother-in-law got a recipe from Beatriz (Betty) Scannapieco. Betty is from Cuba. She was in the exercise group my in-laws attend. Betty\u2019s recipe, using a pressure cooker as is common in Cuba, works like a dream. It\u2019s really pretty effortless, too. The green pepper, onion, and garlic add tremendous flavor but are removed after cooking leaving just beans and the silky cooking liquid.<\/p>\n

I made three changes to Betty\u2019s recipe. She called for 1 teaspoon of white wine. I use 1 tablespoon. Betty didn\u2019t use tomato paste or black pepper but both are common ingredients in many Cuban black bean recipes.<\/p>\n

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Cuban Black Beans<\/h2>\n
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This recipe came from Beatriz (Betty) Scannapieco in my in-law\u2019s exercise group. Betty is from Cuba. I added the tomato paste and black pepper to Betty\u2019s recipe. I also increased the wine from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. It can be challenging to get the bell pepper, onion, and garlic out of the beans as they very soft after cooking. If you want to make it easier, you could tie them in cheesecloth.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span> 10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>8<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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