A Cuban turned to creativity and memories from the toughest years of the so-called Special Period to face the current fuel shortage on the island. In a video posted on TikTok, she demonstrated how to make a small homemade stove that, she claims, can stay lit for up to 24 hours without traditional fuel.
"We're back in the 90s in Cuba, but the important thing is not to run out of things to cook," wrote the user Rossy Guajira Natural in the video description, where she details the process step by step.
The creator explained that she had previously made a simmering device with a tuna can to prepare coffee or tea, but received criticism for using oil, a scarce and expensive product in the country. This time, she claimed, it is a more efficient and durable alternative.
"Due to the lack of fuel in Cuba, we've had to go back to the nineties. Let me show you my mini torricelli. I didn't invent this, but many might not remember," he said while showing the device, constructed from a metal can filled with compacted sawdust and featuring a central hole to facilitate combustion.
The images show how, after igniting the center of the container, the device generates a stable flame on which metal rods are placed to support cooking vessels. As explained, the system allows for cooking any type of food or heating water throughout the entire day.
"The issue is to make do with what little there is. Try it, don’t take my word for it; try it so you can see that you can cook there, heat water… it stays on all day. That’s how I heated water for my children today," she stated.
The young woman also mentioned that the complete tutorial with detailed instructions is available on her YouTube channel.
The spread of the video has generated multiple reactions on social media, where many Cubans acknowledge having used similar methods during the deep economic crisis of the 1990s. Three decades later, the shortage of fuel and prolonged blackouts are once again forcing thousands of families to improvise solutions to ensure something as basic as cooking.
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