Mojo, My Cultural Elixir

The garlic sauce and marinade whose smell and taste are magic elixirs that remind me of me Cuban roots and childhood memories.

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Canary Islands To Cuba

Just two years ago I discovered a culinary fact about my Cuban culture that blew my mind. I learned that the Mojo that seasoned the nourishment of my childhood; the spice mixture I grew up thinking originated in Cuba has roots that extend to yet another island motherland, the Canary Islands.

This food origin confirms to me another historic account of my Cuban ancestry. These Spanish islands off the western coast of Morocco are not just the origins of the Mojo sauce synonymous with my traditional Cuban cuisine, but of our cultural origins as well.

But of course, Canarians make their mojo a little differently. They distinguish their Mojo sauce types by color and spice and favor wine vinegars over citrus juices. Their red mojo is made red from paprika or coriander. Their green mojo is made green from bell peppers and cilantro. Their mojo picon is their spicy variety and gets its heat from chili peppers like jalapeno and serrano peppers. One thing Cuban food is not is hot.

This fact about Mojo’s origins in the Canary Islands tells me a few things about my…