Street Cart Classic · Fresh-Pressed Cane Juice
Guarapo
Photo: Dtarazona / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
It's pressed to order right in front of you — vendors feed raw sugarcane stalks through a hand-cranked or motorized roller press and the juice runs straight into your cup.
Guarapo is the pale green juice extracted by crushing fresh sugarcane stalks through a roller press, served over ice, sometimes with a splash of lime. Street stands with visible cane presses are a common sight in Cuban towns, pressing juice fresh for each customer rather than pre-bottling it.
Why it's made this way: Sugar has shaped Cuba's economy and landscape for centuries, and guarapo is the most direct, unprocessed way that history shows up as something you can drink on the street.
More from Cuba
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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