Enslaved African women in Cuba prepared a thick soup reminiscent of cooks in West African societies. In it they put pounded corn, wild tomatoes, and boiled plantains. Nineteenth century travel accounts show us that enslaved Afro-Cubans cooked for themselves and in the kitchens of plantations, inns, taverns, boarding houses, ships, and restaurants on the island. These women often used their entrepreneurial skills to purchase their freedom and the freedom of love one with the money they earned from their cooking and baking skills.
