Floribbean Cuisine, also known as “New Age Cuisine,” has emerged as one of America's new and most innovative regional cooking styles. Floribbean cuisine is representative of the variety and quality of foods native to Florida and the Caribbean islands with fresh flavors, combinations and tastes. Regional chefs often use locally grown foods and fish and seafood sourced from the area's abundant fresh and salt waters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The cooking style and techniques used today in Florida are heavily influenced by those of Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, but are lighter, with less frying and less oils involved in the preparation. The tangy sweetness of the tropical fruit and the spicy bite of the peppers, the complex spices and simple preparation are common characteristics of a typical Floribbean dish. These hallmarks of Florida cuisine are the product of the state's subtropical climate and myriad immigrants from dozens of countries over hundreds of years. When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the early 1500s, they brought cattle and pigs with them to the New World. In exchange for the livestock, the Native Americans taught the Spanish about local fruits and vegetables, including hearts of palm, malanga, yuca, and plantains. Subsequently, the abundance of fish attracted Cuban fishermen to the ports and bays, who in turn spread the Floribbean food palette further south. Cuban fishermen salted and dried their catch, then shipped it to Havana and other Spanish colonial settlements. By the 1860s, the commercial snapper and grouper industry was active, as well as developed industries harvesting and processing clams, scallops, turtles, oysters, and shrimp due to easy access to Florida's bays. In the 1870s, tourism was booming and real estate was as hot as a Florida summer and those tourists brought their food with them. At the same time, with settlement now a much easier possibility, newcomers from around the world began to flock to the Sunshine State. Beginning in the late 1800s, immigrants arrived primarily from Latin and South America, the Caribbean, and Asia, bringing with them their culinary traditions, including the culinary traditions of immigrants who had previously settled in their lands. Floribbean cuisine is a product of the state's many immigrants and the immigrations of their ancestors. Cubans, for example, brought their unique combination of Spanish flavor combined with Caribbean ingredients, such as tropical fruits and spicy peppers. Asian immigrants brought their strict culinary principles of using only fresh, local produce and simply prepared fish. Latin American influence, from countries such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic, as well as Caribbean countries such as Haiti, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago also brought flavors and ingredients, as well as dishes such as hot sauces. The Floribbean spice cabinet contains the flavors of the world, such as red curry, lemongrass and ginger. Floribbean food is almost intrinsically healthy. Fish and poultry paired with local fruit and vegetables, without frying or liters of oil, served fresh. It might be paired with fatty, sugary Southern dishes, but Floribbean cuisine itself is as clean as they come. Further inland, towards the center and north of the state, the food has a more southern character. In the mid-1600s, thousands of slaves were shipped from Africa to Florida and the Caribbean Islands, bringing with them the skills and knowledge to.