I mix about a teaspoon or so of that stuff with garlic and onion sauteed in butter mixed with some more vinegar then mix with 3-4 crushed avocados. I'm not much for mayo so I don't add any of that. But people don't see to care when I offer it as dip.

Lots of Cubans in and around NOLA but not so much in my area. We have a couple of caribbean restaurants that are pretty popular (Venezuelans and Panamanians) and only one Cuban restaurant. But it's a keeper.

That's an interesting question -- what brought the fiery peppers into cajun cuisine--I confess the thought hadn't occurred prior to you suggesting a Cuban connection. Historically, our connection in Louisiana was closer to Haiti (being French) and the french slave trade. The French slave trade was much less oppressive than the English trade (much like the Spanish and Portuguese). the Roman Catholic connection resulted in Baptised slaves with which there was legal intermarriage and frequent manumission. The English (and derivative American) attitude was much more oppressive. I believe as a result of that more relaxed relationship that teh French and Spanish probably assimilated African cultural paradigms more readily.

Be that as it may, I do not recall Haitian cuisine as being especially spicey. Maybe American Indian? Since so many of the Capsicum varieties were cultivated in Meso-America, maybe it was a trade item?

I may have to do some research on this!

B