El Derecho de Sobremesa

This magazine aims to show that politics, history, culture, resistance and creativity, can be intertwined through the human desire of cooking and sharing food with one another. While this magazine is a Cuban focused story, the idea of resistance and cultural preservation through food can be applied across the world. A plate of food is a universal human right, something we not only need to survive but thrive. The taste and smells of certain dishes trigger memories, taking one back to a kitchen somewhere in the world with people they care about. Recipes and dishes passed down from generation to generation are a foundation of families, communities, and cultures, igniting pride in those cooking and consuming them. I believe that food can be a powerful tool to expand one's knowledge of the world and connect with different people. Sharing a meal invites learning, debates, and stories. It is also an opportunity to keep these stories alive. Each dish cooked and recipe shared are active ways of preserving culture, the people who created them, and their stories. When disaster strikes the world, impacting people, their heritage, and culture, cooking and recording dishes can be a way to preserve who they are. In the words of Chef José Andrés, may we work to “build longer tables, not higher walls,” together.
With this, I invite you into the story of Cuban food and the stories it has produced.