Casabe, Cuba's little-known traditional bread, seeks world recognition
Jun 5, 2023
Cuba is leading a delegation of Caribbean nations, including Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Honduras and Haiti, to formally request UNESCO to add casabe, a little-known ancestral flatbread made of yuca, cassava, to the organization's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage
QUIVICÁN, Cuba (AP) — When Julio César Núñez was a child, he helped his grandmother make casabe from scratch, using artisanal tools — and an ancient cooking method — to turn grated yuca root into a thin, white, crispy flatbread.
Today, Núñez, 80, and a younger generation of family members in this town south of Havana, continue the tradition of harvesting and preparing casabe the ancestral way, but it's no longer just for their own consumption. They sell it to small businesses and restaurants in the capital.
Casabe, a flatbread made of yuca root, which is also called
cassava
, is one of Cuba’s oldest Indigenous meals. It is making a comeback on the island nation, with promoters and restaurants hyping its benefits as a gluten-free alternative to bread and officials seeking its addition to theprized intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO
, the U.N.’s cultural agency."Casabe is an Amerindian tradition that came from northern South America and made its way to the Antilles," Sonia Virgen Pérez, president of Cuba’s National Heritage Council, told The Associated Press. “It arrived through the eastern part of Cuba and became an important food that has been passed down from generation to generation.”
In March, Pérez led a delegation of countries including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Honduras and Haiti, to formally request that UNESCO include the tradition of harvesting yuca, and preparing and consuming casabe to its cultural heritage list.
Casabe was a key part of the diet of Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean. It was also among the first native products embraced by the Spaniards upon their arrival. They incorporated it into their diet, partly because of its durability. It can last months once baked.
Less popular than its Latin American cousins — the Mexican tortilla, traditionally made of corn, or the Venezuelan arepa, which tends to be thicker – casabe is increasingly finding its way into culinary festivals and even casabe-themed merchandising. Among its advantages, says Pérez, is that its main ingredient, the yuca root, can be found virtually anywhere in the Cuban countryside.
“Casabe is a synonym for strength and resilience,” she says.
When eaten, casabe resembles a crunchy, somewhat dry cookie that can be accompanied with either sweet foods, such as sugary coconut, or meat and poultry, as long as the addition is moist enough to compensate for casabe's natural dryness.
“It is one of the oldest dishes in our cuisine,” says Yudisley Cruz, a 45-year-old economist who co-owns Yucasabi, a restaurant in Havana that specializes in dishes based on casabe flatbread. “It goes with everything.”
Back in Quivicán, Núñez walks around the farm, showing a reporter some of the traditional tools he uses to make casabe the way his grandmother did, including a sifter made of natural fibers. A few meters away, his 40-year-old nephew Agustín grates the yuca root while Agustín's son, Eriel, 15, carefully prepares the small cakes that are then cooked on a griddle over a wood fire.
In addition to seeking UNESCO recognition, casabe enthusiasts hope it will be widely embraced as a healthy, sustainable meal that delights the palate of more people while preserving an Indigenous tradition.
“We’re not going to war against bread. We just want people to also eat casabe,” says Cruz, the restaurateur.
More News
All Accounted for After Tanker Crashes Into Docked New Orleans Riverboat
Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana called it a “literal miracle on the Mississippi” that all of the nearly 200 people aboard the riverboat were rescued.
Sorry, Europeans, But Only Americans Will Be Able To Say They've Done At Least 14 Of These Experiences
Do you bleed red, white, and blue? View Entire Post ›
27 Products That’ll Make Holiday Travels So Much Smoother
Because there are one too many holiday movies that start with the main character missing a flight, and that does NOT need to be your journey this season. View Entire Post ›
Who is Shin Min-a, the ever-popular film and K-drama star fronting The Remarried Empress?
Shin Min-a currently rules the Eastern Empire as the titular character in Disney+’s hit fantasy romance The Remarried Empress. Yet, lofty though her protagonist’s rank may be, the actress is no stranger to being at the top, having enjoyed broad popularity since breaking out on screen more than a quarter of a century ago. Entering the industry as a model at age 14 in 1998, Shin quickly found herself in front of numerous cameras, appearing in a slew of popular music videos and advertisements. She...
Plan A Tropical Vacation And We'll Reveal Your Mental Age
A hostel bunk? With this aging back pain? View Entire Post ›
How Baz Luhrmann’s ultra-stylised Romeo + Juliet film made Shakespeare cool 30 years ago
William Shakespeare’s star-crossed romance Romeo and Juliet has been adapted for the screen innumerable times, perhaps most famously by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968. While every version reflects the era of its creation, none speaks quite as loudly as Baz Luhrmann’s ultra-stylised, fiercely 1990s take, which turns 30 this month. The second – and best – of Luhrmann’s much-loved “Red Curtain” trilogy, which includes 1992’s Strictly Ballroom and 2001’s Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet (1996) is blessed...
Is a cure on the horizon for hepatitis B? New drug offers hope, but there's a 'long way to go'
Is a cure on the horizon for hepatitis B? A newly-approved drug offers hope, but wiping out this viral liver infection remains a challenge.
Let your hair down. This Hong Kong-born designer will turn it into fashion
“I would say it’s a beautiful mistake,” says Ruby Hung of starting her eponymous label in London in 2023. “For the longest time, I thought I was going to be a stylist or work for a [fashion] publication or a magazine. I didn’t even have a sewing machine back then.” Yet, at 25, the Hong Kong-born designer has already dressed musicians such as Tyla, FKA Twigs and Arca, as well as influencer Kylie Jenner, and showcased her work at industry-wide events, including London Fashion Week. Her choice of...
CANES & TALES LAUNCHES THE GREAT RAILWAY BAZAAR, A COCKTAIL JOURNEY ACROSS EUROPE AND ASIA BY RAIL
Canes & Tales at Waldorf Astoria Osaka introduces The Great Railway Bazaar, a menu inspired by American novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux’s rail journey across Europe and Asia and the happy accidents that make travel memorable. The menu spans five famous railways - the London Underground, the Orient Express, India’s Grand Trunk Railway, Japan’s beloved Shinkansen and the International Express which journeys across Southeast Asia. Each is represented by two cocktails bringing to life the flavors of the region - with one offered in both alcoholic and alcohol-free versions - inviting guests to wander any path that speaks to them.
60 Years of Barbadian Independence // 60 Facts You Didn’t Know About the Island
This year, Barbados celebrates 60 years of independence from Britain. This island paradise is one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations, pairing serene beaches and stunning landscapes with a cool, laid-back feel. But how much do you really know about Barbados? We’ve compiled 60 facts to celebrate 60 years of Barbadian independence, with help from the team at Royal Westmoreland, purveyor of luxury villas for sale in Barbados.
Nationwide US flight grounding causes major disruption as FAA halts departures across America
A nationwide aviation shutdown across the United States brought air travel to an unprecedented standstill on Friday, November 13, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered all departing flights at US airports to remain on the ground following a major communications failure affecting the country’s air traffic control network. The extraordinary decision disrupted thousands of flights, stranded passengers at airports across the country and created widespread uncertainty for airlines and travellers, with some of the busiest aviation hubs in the world affected.
tulah Clinical Wellness partners US platform to offer specialist medical second opinions in India
tulah Clinical Wellness, developed by KEF Holdings in Kozhikode, Kerala, has partnered with US-based Apex Opinion, operated by Krivox Inc., to provide Indian patients access to independent medical second opinions from US board-certified specialists. The service, expected to become available from November 2026, will cover multiple medical disciplines through remote consultations and medical record reviews.