Cassava flour ham and soy milk, the diet "alternative" of the Cubans

The alternative that the Cienfuegos Meat Company found to remain active is the production of sausages based on cassava, rice and cornstarch, due to the shortage of wheat and the low production of beef and pork on the island. “We have had good results”, summarized to the provincial newspaper September 5 Luis Jiménez Marrero, operator of the plant located in the municipality of Palmira.

In Cuba, wheat flour is used as an input in the production of hams, which is not common in other countries, but even this cereal is absent in food production. “The mixtures of the ingredients respond to current needs,” said Jiménez Marrero, while acknowledging that the durability of the sausages is still being analyzed and “flavors adapted to the characteristics” are being sought.

The ham produced with these “new ingredients” has been distributed in recreational centers and for domestic consumption in the form of “salads” and to make “snacks”, added the operator, with “good acceptance” by the consumer. “We managed to obtain these products in small formats, sliced, which is easy to eat: you open the package, take the slice out, put it on the bread and you’re already having a snack,” he explained to the local newspaper.

Cassava is the star substitute for wheat flour in Cuba, used to make fish or bread croquettes, although it has not been as popular in bakeries due to its rapid expiration date and flavor variations. In addition, cassava starch is used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, and also as a substitute for malt in the manufacture of beers.

Soy is an “ideal” candidate for Cuban producers because its cultivation achieves high yields with the application of few agricultural inputs.

The general scarcity of inputs has led producers to explore new alternatives, such as in Pinar del Río, where soybeans are grown to meet the demand for feed in the pig sector. This cereal, with a high protein content and used to make plant-based milk, is also used as a source of oil, a use that Cuban authorities are currently analyzing, said Ortelio Rodríguez, deputy delegate for Agriculture in the province.

Speaking to the local newspaper Guerrilla, the official explained that the province has 100 hectares cultivated with soybeans, distributed in the municipalities of Pinar del Río, Consolación del Sur and Los Palacios. The goal, he added, is to obtain enough seeds to reach 1,000 hectares in the Vueltabajo region in the second half of this year.

Soy is an “ideal” candidate for Cuban producers because its cultivation reaches high yields with the application of few agricultural inputs, up to two tons per hectare, in addition to adapting to extreme weather conditions.

Rodríguez recalled that soybeans were previously grown on a “small scale” in the province, but there was resistance from the health system because there was a myth that it attracted pests that put tobacco plantations at risk. “The same diseases that attack soybeans also affect beans, and despite this, thousands of hectares are planted in Pinar del Río without any problems,” he said.

Soy was one of the life-saving crops of the Cuban economy, in accordance with the promises of Raúl Castro in 2007, when he said that enough milk had to be produced for “everyone who wants to have a glass.” Since then there has been little progress. The Cuban government makes soy yogurt for those who are lactose intolerant, although the common use of this derivative is due to the fact that dairy production is unable to meet national demand.

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