Vaca Frita and Ropa Vieja

I am going to start off by talking about two similar dishes, Ropa Vieja and Vaca Frita.  Both of them are prepared primarily, but Vaca Frita is fried meat, as opposed to Ropa Vieja, which is just boiled in a pot. 

The first of these dishes that I am going to talk about is Ropa Vieja.  The name Ropa Vieja means “old clothes”, because the food itself looks torn, like old clothes.    Ropa Vieja originates from Spain, but technically it came from the Canary Islands, not the Spanish mainland. [i]  The citizens of the Canary Islands would often immigrate to Cuba and they would bring aspects of their culture, including their food along with them.  [ii]  This is one of the many Spanish inspired foods that make up Cuban cuisine and it makes sense that Spanish settlers would bring their staple foods such as beef and pork along with them to the new world.  

                Ropa Vieja, is made from flank steak and then the meat is shredded and then boiled.  [iii] It is usually cooked along with green peppers and onions to add flavor.

                Vaca Frita is also prepared very similarly, except that as I mentioned, it is fried after it is initially cooked.   The meat is also marinated before it is cooked with garlic, olive oil and lime. [iv] Both dishes are usually served at lunch or dinner.

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[i] "Vaca Frita: Authentic Cuban Food with History." Agozar Cuban Bistro Blog Bowery NYC. Agozar:Cuban Bistro Bar, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://agozarnyc.com/blog/2012/08/09/vaca-frita-authentic-cuban-food-with-history/>.

[ii] "Vaca Frita: Authentic Cuban Food with History." Agozar Cuban Bistro Blog Bowery NYC. Agozar:Cuban Bistro Bar, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://agozarnyc.com/blog/2012/08/09/vaca-frita-authentic-cuban-food-with-history/>.

[iii]  Cortina, Martha Abreu. Authentic Cuban cuisine. (Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub., 2011) 137-140.

[iv]  Cortina, Martha Abreu. Authentic Cuban cuisine. (Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub., 2011) 137-140.