A Taste of Cuba

Growing up in a Cuban household, you got to love Cuban cooking! I wrote this poem as a tribute to my Mother......a great Cuban Cook

I used to watch my Mamma cook
When I was six or Seven
She never followed a recipe book
But boy could she cook anything Cuban!

My Mamma rose at dawn each day
And off to her stove she went.
As She brewed una tasa de cafe
Her kitchen wafted a heavenly scent;

I only close my eyes as I remember
The sweet smell of platanos maduro
And I take flight to a day in December
With the citrus smell of her Adobo.

I swear that I can smell the aroma
Of her spicy black frijoles
Slowly simmering in her Big black Olla;
And the succulent scent of her Tamales.

She filled my pallate with gran sabor
As she formed each croqueta;
And as I watched her in her labor
She'd let me have a taste of Cuba.

Now I stand in my own kitchen
As I hover over my own stove
Trying to cook something sweet and Cuban
Is it cinnamon, sugar, or clove?

Oh, I now remember the ingredient...
As I copy Mom's Arroz con leche.
Yes! I have captured her exact scent!
Now I'm cooking in my own Cafe;

From Frijoles to Arroz con Pollo...
Mamma taught me to cook a lo Criollo!

Mary Aris© 2010