A Cuban farmer identified as Felipe went viral this week after harvesting a sweet potato weighing 21 pounds in Cuba.
The video of Felipe and his gigantic sweet potato was shared on Facebook by the musician and content creator Wilder el Supremo, who resides in Kendall, Florida. It does not specify where on the island the root vegetable was grown.
Felipe, for his part, briefly explains the origin of the giant: "I was given a rooted sweet potato, and I planted it."
Reactions came quickly. The comments blend humor, nostalgia, and an underlying sense of scarcity in Cuba. “I would eat it with a good stew. Oh God!” wrote one user.
Another was more pragmatic: "That sweet potato could feed us for a month." A third one dreamily suggested how to prepare it: "I would cook it boiled, to eat with dough and pork cracklings."
The comment highlighting the virtues of Cuban agriculture was not absent. "I am so proud of our Cuban farmers!" said a supporter.
Political humor inevitably emerged. A commentator wryly warned: "Careful, old man, that sweet potato might be considered HOARDING." Another person remarked: "I think that's the brain of Díaz-Canel."
Several users recalled that large sweet potatoes are not uncommon in Cuba. "In my uncle's farm, I harvested some that weighed up to 25 pounds in 2007, in Holguín."
The finding comes at a time when the sweet potato, once one of the cheapest foods in the Cuban diet, has become a luxury for many families. Its price in Havana ranges between 80 and 120 CUP per pound. In 2020, it cost less than ten. In some provinces, a single unit can exceed 300 pesos.
In March 2021, a Cuban in Holguín harvested a 31-pound sweet potato in her backyard, five months after planting.
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