Goiabada

"Goiabada" is a popular dessert throughout the Portuguese-speaking countries of the Europe-Africa-South American triangle, dating back to the colonial days of slavery - especially in Brazil - and was cooked over a slow fire. It is a conserve made of guava, sugar and water. It is still commonly made at home for family use or by home industry outlets (traditional recipes) or as processed food.

It is known as guava paste or guava cheese throughout the English-speaking Americas, especially the Caribbean. It is commercially available in flat metal cans from producers such as Goya Foods.

In Brazil, "Goiabada" is usually eaten with Minas cheese. This combination is referred to as "Romeo and Juliet", a custom attributed to Bulgarian influence. It is particularly popular spread on toast at breakfast, or served hot with cheese inside an "empada" pastry, as a kind of miniature pie. In Portugal it is used as the filling of the popular "Bolo de rosas" (rose cake) in which a layer of pastry is covered with goiabada, then rolled and cuts into pieces that resemble roses.

There are many different kinds of Goiabada, depending on the type of guava, and with slightly different textures and flavors. The most widely accepted to be the best in Brazil (for "Romeo and Juliet") is called "goiabada cascão".