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Onion and garlic are used in Cuban
cooking,
to
be sure. But '"this requires
· another chapter", as
Ce~antes
would say.
The excess of onion and garlic is
offensive to delicate palates, without
doubt, but its judicious use is most
commendable.
A very small amount imparts a
relish which few thing's can equal. The
evil lies in its exag'g'eration. Just as musk
and civet, two ill smelling' substance's,
are found at the base of most exquisite
perfumes-only in such minimum quan–
tities that their presence is seldom
detected, g'arlic and onion, knowingly
employed, bring out the flavor of the
choicest viands which would lose their
zest and become flat without it. Like
most spices, its descriminating' use is a
virtue, its excess, a vice.
Unlike that of other Spanish Ame–
rican countries, Cuban cookery is very
sparcely spiced. Cayenne pepper is un–
popular, Tabasco tabooed; only sweet
peppers, g'reen or red, are favored.
Fats and oils are often too abundan- .
tly used in Cuba; an unfortunate legacy
from Spain, but the best cuisine is more
chary of them. Less fried food appears
to-day on Antillian tahles than formerly.