Cuban cuisine is a fascinating mixture of cultures and ingredients drawn from the island's complex history and its wide-ranging natural resources. It includes the early influences of native Cuban Indians (with their cassava, taro root, corn, and black beans), the arrival of the Spanish colonizers with the cash crops of coffee and sugar, as well as their stuffed roasted meats and peppers, and of course, the African slaves who brought okra and plantain. Today, all these are such important elements of Cuban cuisine that it seems as though they have always been present on the island. Add a little Havana Club and some salsa music to the pot and the story of Cuban cuisine really begins to take shape.