Built in 1966, Cuba's 'Parque Coppelia' ice cream parlor features a two-story dome inspired by Oscar Niemeyer's iconic Brasilia cathedral. Outside, people line up for ice cream every day, and the cool park setting with hundreds of tables can accommodate up to 1,000 people at a time.
According to the story, Cuban President Fidel Castro was the one who proposed the construction of Coppelia Park shortly after the success of the Communist revolution. He is also said to have ordered 28 tubs of ice cream from American manufacturer Howard Johnson's. After tasting it, he decided to create his own Cuban brand of ice cream, bigger and tastier, but cheap enough for anyone to buy. His idea was a big hit, and to this day, thousands of people continue to enjoy subsidized ice cream at Coppelia Park, the world's largest ice cream parlor.
“Before the revolution, Cubans loved Howard Johnson’s ice cream. This was our way of proving that we could do things better than the Americans,” President Fidel Castro famously told a visiting journalist shortly after the inauguration of Coppelia Park.
There was a time when even some American tourists admitted that Coppelia Park served the best ice cream in the world. There were dozens of different flavors. 26 of these flavors were particularly outstanding and were often presented by Cuban leaders to world leaders as a matter of pride.
There was a time when Cuba was unable to produce enough butter and milk powder, and the supply chain for butter and milk powder was cut off, forcing people to choose between butter and ice cream. Eventually, the country that loves ice cream decided to reduce the butter ration. Coppelia doesn't offer as many flavors as it used to, but people could still enjoy ice cream there at any time during the rationing period.
Even today, the world’s largest ice cream parlor remains hugely popular in Havana. It’s where most kids celebrate their birthdays, where couples go on their first dates, and it’s one of the main tourist attractions in the Cuban capital. And at around 5 Cuban pesos per scoop, it’s definitely a must-visit in Cuba.
According to OC
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