"Where are we headed? $1,700 per pound, when years ago it was normal to have a meal with some pork," questioned this week on Facebook by a page from Cienfuegos. Many Cubans lamented that another New Year is approaching without the traditional dish.
"December is approaching. Who will eat pork at the end of the year? No one knows, but it will be very few. I believe that by New Year's, they will eat rice, fried eggs, and a few other side dishes," a user predicted.
Another was more precise in his estimate: "In Santa Fe, it's at 1,900. I wonder what the end of the year will be like for many families. I'm talking about 80 percent of families who will not have access to that food."
Cubans from various provinces reported even higher prices in their areas: 1,800 and 1,850 CUP per pound in several towns, 1,900 in Havana, and up to 2,200 CUP in some parts of the capital. "1,700 in your area, other places it's at 1,800, 1,850, and by the end of the year... buy chicken," joked one user.
In San Antonio de los Baños and Santa Fe, the reported prices reached 2,000 and 1,900 CUP per pound, respectively, figures that contrast with the 850 CUP per pound recorded at an agricultural fair in Sancti Spíritus last August, the lowest price documented so far this year.
Roast pork is the centerpiece of Christmas Eve and New Year's dinner in Cuba, accompanied by congrí rice, yuca with mojo, and fried plantains. The tradition, rooted in Spanish colonial history, has turned pork into a symbol of family gatherings and abundance for decades, even during times of scarcity.
Today, that reality has changed radically following the inflationary spiral unleashed by the so-called "monetary reorganization" of January 2021, which eliminated the convertible peso and unified the currency. "Likewise, it used to cost 25 pesos before the crazy reorganization they did. Two to three times a week, I would put it on my children's plates. Now, there's no way to talk about that," wrote one of the commentators.
The minimum wage in Cuba is 3,210 CUP per month since July 2026, and the official average salary was 7,074 CUP between January and April of this year. At current prices, a single pound of pork can represent between 24% and 62% of the monthly minimum wage, making the traditional dinner an unattainable luxury for most.
"That meat is for the wealthy. Here in Cuba, it's just a memory of a day when we used to eat it," lamented another user.
The pattern is not new: in December 2025, the picadillo from MDM, sausages, and rice with eggs had already replaced pork at the New Year's Eve dinner in many Cuban households.
"Gentlemen, we are lost in time, unable to move forward or even gather momentum. It pains me to write this, but it's the harsh reality for Cubans who do not deserve this constant struggle that has been imposed on us," noted a person.
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