flipGoiabada com Queijo (Romeu e Julieta)
Goiabada com Queijo (Romeu e Julieta)
Why this dish? Goiabada, a dense guava paste that keeps for months, paired with a slice of fresh cheese: this duo nicknamed 'Romeu e Julieta' is the popular dessert of Jobim's Brazil, found in every Rio grocery store.
A firm guava confiture, cooked long with sugar until it becomes a deep red sliceable paste, served with a piece of mild fresh cheese. The sweet-tart contrast of the fruit and the neutral cheese is a classic.
You know Romeo and Juliet? Well, in our house, it's a dessert! The goiabada all red and sweet, and next to it a slice of queijo branco, well behaved: two lovers who are opposites and, in the mouth, get along wonderfully. My grandmother always kept a loaf in the cupboard, wrapped, ready for visitors. A bite of each, and then a cafezinho — and the conversation can last until evening.
- •Very ripe guavas — a full basket (base fruit)
- •Sugar — almost as much as pulp (preservation and sweetness)
- •Fresh fazenda cheese — a piece (sweet-salty contrast)
Goiabada com Queijo (Romeu e Julieta)
A firm guava confiture, cooked long with sugar until it becomes a deep red sliceable paste, served with a piece of mild fresh cheese. The sweet-tart contrast of the fruit and the neutral cheese is a classic.
Why this dish? Goiabada, a dense guava paste that keeps for months, paired with a slice of fresh cheese: this duo nicknamed 'Romeu e Julieta' is the popular dessert of Jobim's Brazil, found in every Rio grocery store.
You know Romeo and Juliet? Well, in our house, it's a dessert! The goiabada all red and sweet, and next to it a slice of queijo branco, well behaved: two lovers who are opposites and, in the mouth, get along wonderfully. My grandmother always kept a loaf in the cupboard, wrapped, ready for visitors. A bite of each, and then a cafezinho — and the conversation can last until evening.
Ingredients (period version)
- Very ripe guavas — a full basket (base fruit)
- Sugar — almost as much as pulp (preservation and sweetness)
- Fresh fazenda cheese — a piece (sweet-salty contrast)
Ingredients
- Ripe guavas (or guava pulp) — 1 kg (base fruit)
- Sugar — 700 g (preservation)
- Lemon juice — 1 tbsp (sets pectin)
- Fresh cheese like queijo minas or mild feta — 1 piece (serving)
Method
- Cut the guavas, cook with a little water until tender, then strain to obtain a smooth pulp without seeds.
- Weigh the pulp, add roughly its weight in sugar and the lemon juice.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (watch for hot splatters): the paste thickens and darkens. It's ready when the spoon leaves a clear path at the bottom of the pan.
- Pour into a lined mold, smooth the surface, and let cool and set for several hours.
- Unmold, slice, and serve each slice with a piece of fresh cheese.
How it was made : The Portuguese brought to Brazil the art of *doces de fruta*, these very sweet fruit pastes inherited from quince preserves (marmelada). Lacking quinces, they used the local guava, abundant and fragrant: thus was born goiabada, which kept for months without refrigeration — precious in the tropics. It was the reserve sweet of every household.
The contemporary twist : Serve as an ice-cold cube on a cracker, or melt the goiabada into a warm coulis over the cheese for a 'deconstructed cheesecake' version.
Sources : Câmara Cascudo, História da Alimentação no Brasil
Antônio Carlos Jobim · Charactorium
