The government recommends salting meats to preserve food, but there is also no salt in Cuba.

The telecenter in Santiago de Cuba interviewed Chef Juan Carlos, president of the Provincial Culinary Federation, to inform the population about food preservation techniques amidst the general blackouts.

One of the biggest problems caused by the energy crisis in Cuba is the loss of food. This hits hard on the population that has suffered from food shortages for years.

The Chef recommended cooking only what the family will consume at the moment, to avoid the heat of the day damaging the rice, grains, or pasta.

Another suggestion was not to add tomato sauces to meals because they accelerate the fermentation process. However, the point that garnered the most attention was the preservation of meat products.

In Cuba, meats are expensive and in the current context, they are difficult to preserve without refrigeration. The president of the Santiago Culinary Federation recommended salting them, or cooking them and storing them covered in fat, which is impossible for most of the population.

A user showed how she had deboned the chicken thighs to carry out the preservation process. She salted the meat and placed it to dry in the sun.

This conservation technique is ancient, but most Cubans cannot apply it because their pantries almost have no salt, and they cannot buy it in the stores.

Salt has been a scarce product in Cuba for several years. Its sale is controlled through the rationing booklet. If you need more than your allocated amount, you have to buy it in foreign currency.

In recent years, the distribution of salt in Cuba has been a recurring problem due to failures in transportation logistics.

In early 2023, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, reported that although there are more than 9,000 tons of salt stored, the lack of adequate transportation was hindering its effective distribution.

The railway cars used to transport the product are in poor condition, which has delayed the delivery of the salt quota on several occasions. The terrible conditions of the machinery in the salt mines also hinder loading onto railway sheets and containers. They only have 14 and need 100.

In September 2024, the official press reported the arrival at Cuban ports of salt intended for the basic basket, attempting to mitigate the shortage.

The Cuban government imports salt because production in the country is insufficient to meet demand. The main supplier is Spain, but even with the timely arrival of shipments, transportation problems persist on the island, affecting the distribution of an essential and often undervalued product.