A Cuban resident in Placetas, Villa Clara, has found a homemade solution to cope with blackouts and fuel shortages on the island, using an improvised stove that runs on dry leaves from the almendrón tree.
The invention was showcased in a video published on Facebook by the user DeRoche, where he explains how he uses the leaves that fall from an almond tree for cooking when the electricity is out.
"Gentlemen, I have a solution for those who don’t have firewood. Ta-da! Do you know what this is? This is almond leaf. In many places, it’s known as almendrón," he comments while showing off the small stove he made.
The Cuban recounts that for a time he considered cutting down the tree in his yard because the fallen leaves were causing inconveniences in the patio. However, he eventually discovered that they could be turned into fuel.
“Let’s gather them and leave them to dry. This is amazing fuel, gentlemen,” he assures in the video, where he also demonstrates how he designed the stove to perfectly fit a pot on top.
According to him, the device is still undergoing improvements. "I still need to add a chimney here and build a roof, but we'll be debuting it this afternoon," he says while pointing to the metal structure where the dry leaves are burning.
In the midst of the energy crisis impacting Cuba, the man captures the spirit of daily survival with a phrase that has become common among many Cubans: “You have to be creative. The president said it, not me.”
As a conclusion, he even improvises a décima that summarizes the logic behind his invention:
“Si tienes un almendrón, no lo vayas a cortar,
con él puedes cocinar cuando estés en apagón.
Yo me inventé este fogón, que ante la escasez me ampara.
El ingenio se dispara cuando estás en el abismo,
porque el carbón ahora mismo cuesta un ojo de la cara”.
The video was originally published on February 24, although it recently resurfaced on social media, where it has sparked comments from Cubans who recognize in the scene an increasingly common reality: the need to improvise in order to cook during prolonged blackouts.
This is not the first time a household invention born from a crisis has gone viral. Just a few days ago, the case of a Cuban who modified a Fiat Polski to run on charcoal also drew attention, installing a gasification system that generates fuel from charcoal.
The adaptation, inspired by technologies used during World War II, was seen by many as yet another example of the ingenuity with which Cubans try to cope with fuel shortages and energy challenges on the island.
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