According to some researchers, the name quimbombó is akin to the Yoruba word amalá, so it is considered that the Yoruba slaves, who arrived from Central Africa to Cuba in the 16th century, brought that dish along with their religious beliefs, and quimbombó is one of the favorite foods of their Orishas Changó.
How to prepare
Changó's followers prepare a corn dish with sliced quimbombó and offer it to the Orisha, and before their ceremonies, they soak Changó's pieces and attributes with the dried quimbombó.
Through this dish, one can appreciate one of Cuba's emblematic characteristics, its cultural and culinary diversity; its Taino culture was influenced during slavery by African culture because the Africans were the ones who cooked and introduced quimbombó into Cuban gastronomy.
Of course, we also find Spanish and Chinese influence in this dish.
Some history
Generally, this dish is usually accompanied by rice, whose consumption is due to the Spanish migration in the 19th century.
It is also customary to serve quimbombó with casabe or cassava bread, which the Indians ate accompanying the traditional ajiaco without missing the hot peppers. With the arrival of the Spaniards, cassava bread was replaced by wheat bread, which was imported from Spain.
Okra with Chicken and Plantain
In addition to its beneficial properties for health, Cuban okra is a common ingredient in Cuban cuisine. For example, you can prepare recipes such as okra with chicken, okra salad, or even fried okra.
Quimbombó is characterized by its high calcium, chlorine, and sodium content, which makes it a regulator of the body's albumin and helps control digestive disorders.
