A Cuban who publishes under the name @guajira_natural on TikTok has become the center of a culinary debate on social media by sharing a one-minute video in which she demonstrates, step by step, how the traditional guava paste is handcrafted in Cuba.
The clip garnered over 131,500 views, 6,835 “likes,” and was shared 759 times, figures that reflect the public's interest in traditional Cuban recipes at a time when acquiring these sweets has become increasingly difficult and expensive.
In the video, the creator explains that the process begins by washing and chopping the guava into small cubes, then passing it through a manual grinder with a splash of water. “Now we move on to our more modern machine, which is the guava grinder,” she says with irony. The mixture is cooked with sugar until it thickens and turns a golden color. Then comes the most demanding part: stirring it continuously, a process that can last up to two hours.
"Get ready to sweat, my love, because the steam here is like a scorching sauna," the author warns with laughter, before revealing the secret to the final result: "The key is that when you're mixing, you need to add the lemon juice; that’s where the difference lies between guava pulp and the bar, that’s where the consistency comes from."
Once it's ready, the mixture is poured hot into wooden molds until it solidifies. The creator ends the video with a question for her followers: "What would you like to eat this delicious guava bar with? For me, a piece of cheese."
The post sparked divided opinions. While many users expressed nostalgia for the traditional process and admiration for the result, others directly questioned the hygienic conditions of the environment. "It's very dirty, that can't be eaten," wrote one internet user. Another sarcastically added, "If it doesn't have worm protein, I don't want anything." A third person asked, "Can't they clean it a little bit?"
This type of debate is common in Cuban artisanal cooking videos circulating on social media, where the affirmation of popular cuisine coexists with the exposure of the precarious conditions in which some products are made.
The video takes on an additional dimension when considering the economic context of the island. The guava candy bar was sold for 600 Cuban pesos in Matanzas last August, which represents almost 20% of the minimum monthly wage of 3,210 pesos, effective since July 2026. In this scenario, homemade production ceases to be merely a cultural tradition and also becomes an alternative in response to scarcity and high prices.
The prices of traditional sweets have outraged Cubans in recent months, with pineapple cakes exceeding 9,650 pesos and portions of sweets ranging between 790 and 980 pesos, according to reports from August 2026.
The inflation in Cuba could be around 25% this year, according to estimations from the Center for Cuban Economics Studies. In this context, the homemade recipes shared on social media also become an alternative for preparing traditional products at home that are increasingly costly in the Cuban market.
Filed under: