
Ropa Vieja is one of Cuba’s most iconic dishes, a slow-cooked shredded beef stew in a rich tomato-based sauce that reflects centuries of cultural exchange across the Caribbean and the Spanish-speaking world. Its origins are often traced back to the Canary Islands, from where Spanish settlers carried culinary traditions to Cuba during the colonial period.
The name, meaning ‘old clothes’, is said in popular folklore to derive from the dish’s






