Arroz a la cubana () ("Cuban-style rice") or arroz cubano is a rice dish popular in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, and parts of

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. Its defining ingredients are

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

and a

fried egg A fried egg is a cooked dish made from one or more eggs which are removed from their shells and placed into a frying pan and cooked. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch in many countries but may also be served at other times o ...

. A fried banana ( plantain or other

cooking banana Cooking bananas are a group of banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking. They are not eaten raw and are generally starchy. Many cooking bananas are referred to as plantains or 'green bananas ...

s) and

tomato sauce Tomato sauce (; ; ) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes. In some countries the term refers to a sauce to be served as part of a dish, in others it is a condiment. Tomatoes have a rich flavor, high water content, s ...

('' tomate frito'') are so frequently used that they are often considered defining ingredients too.Ismael Sarmiento Ramírez, (2003), Alimentación y relaciones sociales en la Cuba colonial, Anales del Museo de América, ISSN 1133-8741, Nº. 11, pp 197-226 Despite the name, the dish does not exist in

Cuban cuisine Cuban cuisine is largely based on Spanish cuisine with influence from India, African and other Caribbean cuisines. Some Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish, Taino and African cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and ...

and its origins are not definitively known. It may possibly originate from a Spanish misinterpretation of common Cuban meals of eating rice with stews and a fried egg when Cuba was still a Spanish colony.Cándido Hurones, (2009), Cómo freír un huevo. La innovación didáctica al servicio de la docencia universitaria, Entelequia: revista interdisciplinar, ISSN-e 1885-6985, No. 10, pp. 239-252

By region

Spain

In Spain, a typical dish of ''arroz a la cubana'' consists of a serving of white rice (which is sometimes shaped into small mounds using a glass),

('' tomate frito'') and a fried egg. While the most traditional recipe includes a fried plantain (''plátano)'', it is also common to find the recipe using sausages and bacon. It is typical to cut and mix all the ingredients before eating, allowing the yolk of the egg to melt and combine everything well.

Philippines

In the

, ''arroz a la cubana'' has been eaten in the Philippines since Spanish colonial times.Antonio Quilis,Celia Casado Fresnillo, (2008), La lengua española en Filipinas: Historia. Situación actual, CSIC, Madrid. Like in other versions, it comes with white rice, fried egg, and some ripe fried cardava or

saba banana Saba banana (pron. or ) is a triploid hybrid (ABB) banana cultivar originating from the Philippines. It is primarily a cooking banana, though it can also be eaten raw. It is one of the most important banana varieties in Philippine cuisine. It i ...

, sliced length-wise. It differs significantly from the Spanish and Latin American versions in that instead of ''tomate frito'', it always includes ground meat (''giniling'', usually beef) in tomato sauce. This component is typically cooked ''

picadillo Picadillo (, "mince") is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries including Mexico and Cuba, as well as the Philippines. It is made with ground meat (most commonly beef), tomatoes (tomato sauce may be used as a substitute), and also ra ...

''-style, with minced potatoes, carrots, raisins, peas, onions, garlic, and other ingredients in a tomato-based sauce seasoned with '' patis'' (fish sauce),

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

, and sometimes chilis. A regional variant of ''arroz a la cubana'' is ''arroz de Calamba'' from

Calamba, Laguna Calamba, officially the City of Calamba (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Laguna (province), Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popu ...

. It differs in that it is served with strips of

smoked fish Smoked fish is fish that has been cured by smoking. Foods have been smoked by humans throughout history. Originally this was done as a preservative. In more recent times, fish is readily preserved by refrigeration and freezing and the smoking o ...

(''

tinapa Tinapa ''Tinapa'', a Filipino term, is fish cooked or preserved through the process of smoking. It is a native delicacy in the Philippines and is often made from blackfin scad (''Alepes melanoptera'', known locally as ''galunggong''), or from ...

'').

Peru

In Peru, it is common for the dish to consist of white rice, fried plantain, a fried hot-dog wiener, and a fried egg over the white rice.Recipe from Perú, using plantain
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References

{{Philippine cuisine Rice dishes Peruvian cuisine Spanish words and phrases Filipino cuisine Egg dishes Plantain dishes Tomato dishes Spanish rice dishes Food combinations