A Cuban man living in Brazil recently tasted a kiwi for the first time and shared his experience in a Facebook video that quickly amassed over 46,000 views. This clip has become one of the most heartfelt contributions to the viral trend of Cuban emigrants discovering foods they never had access to on the island.
Manuel Viera, who is known online as "Porelcambio," uploaded the video on Monday while exploring a local market where kiwis are sold alongside strawberries, pomegranates, plums, and caimitos. "I've only seen this in books and cartoons, and now I see it every day here at the market. I've never tasted this before; I'm going to buy it to see what it tastes like," Viera remarks at the beginning of the video.
As soon as he tasted the fruit, his reaction was spontaneous: "Just like in the cartoons, in the cooking books and all that." He further expressed, "It's good, sweet, very tasty. You could make a great dessert from this."
The mention of "cartoons" and cookbooks as his only sources of knowledge about kiwis highlights a reality for many Cubans: growing up with only illustrations of certain foods, without ever actually tasting them. "I've never tasted this in my life. I imagine only the wealthy in Cuba have tried it; I've only seen it in pictures," Viera admitted.
Kiwis, being non-tropical fruits, need to be imported to Cuba and have been absent from Cuban markets for years along with raspberries, peaches, and other imported fruits. This situation was reported as far back as February 2019 and has worsened due to the chronic shortages plaguing the island.
Viera's video adds to a sustained viral trend where Cuban emigrants document their first encounters with foods that the dictatorship’s crisis prevented them from experiencing. In September 2025, a Cuban woman newly arrived in Spain also tried a kiwi for the first time and exclaimed, "I never imagined I would be able to eat all this."
Other similar stories include a Cuban woman amazed by the variety of fruits in El Salvador, noting that in Cuba "there isn't fruit of every kind," and a Cuban man who took his mother to a supermarket in Brazil for the first time, creating another viral moment in May 2025.
The final phrase of Viera's video, spoken in Portuguese —"Olha que eu vou fazer um dos segundos"— confirms his residence in Brazil, a country that has frequently been the setting for these testimonies. A Cuban mother who visited a marketplace in Mexico for the first time summed up the shared sentiment of many: "It makes you want to cry thinking about all the things here and all the needs back home in my country."
Discovering New Flavors: The Cuban Emigrant Experience
Why are kiwis and other fruits absent from Cuban markets?
Kiwis and other non-tropical fruits must be imported into Cuba, and their absence is due to chronic shortages and the economic crisis exacerbated by the socialist regime's policies.
What is the significance of Cuban emigrants trying new foods?
For many Cuban emigrants, tasting new foods represents a newfound freedom and opportunity to experience what was previously inaccessible due to the limitations of the Cuban regime.
How do these food discovery videos impact Cuban emigrants?
These videos often serve as emotional testimonials, highlighting both the joy of new experiences and the stark contrast with the scarcity faced in Cuba, resonating deeply with audiences.