The dish is believed to have been brought to the Americas by immigrants from the Canary Islands and was first reported to have been cooked in Cuba in 1857, but today is well known as a Cuban national dish.[13][14]
Canary Islands - Ropa vieja is served with both garbanzo beans and potatoes.[14][12] Some versions of the dish in the Canaries include other meats, including chicken and pork.[citation needed]
Cuba - Ropa vieja is well known as a national dish (most often served with rice and black beans), but famously was off the menu of many ordinary Cubans for a time[11] during theSpecial Period of Cuban history, after the fall of the Soviet Union. While some Cubans improvised, substituting lamb[15] or pork[16] for beef during this time (or made special efforts to find beef to make the dish)[17] the dish became commonly available in Cuba again, starting in 2010 with the advent of independent and legalpaladares in 2010.[15] The paladares are restaurants in tourist zones, frequented by tourists and a few Cubans who can afford it. Unfortunately, most Cubans do not get to eat ropa vieja because they don't eat at paladares but rather cook their meals at home. Ropa vieja is especially popular amongCuba's Jewish community.[18] Ropa vieja in Cuba is often served withMoros y Cristianos (dish), a form ofrice and beans, and friedplantains.[19]
InNicaragua, the dish is calledcarne desmenuzada, or less commonlyropa vieja. It is made with green bell peppers, onions, garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. It is usually served with white rice or alongsidegallopinto (national dish of Nicaragua), andfried cheese, fried or boiledplantains.[20]
In thePhilippines, ropa vieja includes fish sauce and is served with jasmine rice.[11]
Other regions - The dish is popular inHonduras,[21]Puerto Rico,[22][23] and other parts of Latin America, as well as among immigrant communities in the United States.[24][25]
^Bremzen, Anya von, "Pork Ripa Vieja with Raisins",Paladares: Recipes inspired by the private restaurants of Cuba (2017,ISBN978-1-4197-2703-0) p. 246-247
