Tourists talk with a Cuban woman in the area of Old Havana, in Havana, capital of Cuba, Sept. 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)
Called "Cuba Sabe," which can mean both "Cuba Knows" and "Cuba Tastes," the workshop was organized by Lis Cuesta, wife of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and academic services manager of cultural tourism agency Paradiso.
HAVANA, Jan. 12 -- Cuba aims to lure more foreign visitors by touting its gastronomy, a rich blend of Spanish, Afro-Caribbean and even Asian culinary influences, along with its beaches and historical heritage.
To that end, Cuban authorities eagerly launched a three-day culinary workshop that showcased both the history and evolution of Cuban cuisine. The workshop concluded late Saturday.
Called "Cuba Sabe," which can mean both "Cuba Knows" and "Cuba Tastes," the workshop was organized by Lis Cuesta, wife of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and academic services manager of cultural tourism agency Paradiso.
Diaz-Canel attended the event, as did Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, Culture Minister Alpidio Alonso, and Secretary of the State Council Homero Acosta.
"Our island is dedicated to tourism, but beyond sun and beaches, there is also our people, our history and our cuisine," Cuesta told reporters.
Cuba's culinary culture "is like our national culture, a culture of resistance," Cuesta said, calling for more traditional dishes to be offered at hotel restaurants alongside the international fare.
Each ethnic group that arrived in Cuba, from Africa, Europe and China, enriched the local cuisine with their native ingredients and cooking skills, Cuesta added.
"These types of events are stimulating" because they show "cooking is not just eating and drinking but also a cultural action, a way of introducing ourselves to the world as we are," Jorge Mendez, an official of Tourism Ministry and author of several books on Cuban cuisine, told Xinhua.
"Without fine cuisine, there is no tourism, so we have to promote it, improve it, and make it more pleasant to attract tourists," said Mendez, who is in charge of gastronomy and tourism promotion in the ministry.
It is estimated that 4.5 million foreign tourists will visit Cuba in 2020, 200,000 more than the year before.
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