Santería — also called La Regla de Lukumí, La Regla de Ocha-Ifá — is the Afro-Cuban religious tradition that preserved Yoruba spiritual practice under Spanish Catholic colonial rule by disguising Yoruba orishas (deities) as Catholic saints. Of all the New World societies, Cuba received people who were enslaved from the greatest diversity of African origins, and in larger numbers. Forcibly brought from all parts of the coast and interior of western Africa, between 500,000 and 700,000 Africans reached Cuba, the majority arriving in the 19th century. The size and diversity of this population has allowed a rich array of African-inspired religions to continue to flourish there, well beyond the end of the transatlantic slave trade. The specific food system of Lukumí is among the most complete surviving records of West African — specifically Yoruba — culinary and spiritual practice in the Americas. Each orisha has specific sacred foods; each ceremony requires specific preparations; each life event is marked by the correct food offerings. The food is not symbolic — it is understood as literally nourishing the orishas.
The Lukumí orisha food system — its organisation and its culinary significance.
AFRICA TO AMERICA — WA4: THE DEEPEST DIVE