a slab of dark, sweet guava paste laid against a slice of pale, mild fresh Minas cheese, the simplest and most beloved of Brazilian desserts, named for the lovers who belong together
Origin: Brazil
From the journey of Guava.
Romeu e Julieta is less a recipe than a perfect pairing, and it is one of the most beloved sweets in all of Brazil: a slice of dark, dense, sweet goiabada (guava paste) set beside, or on top of, a slice of pale, mild, fresh Minas cheese (queijo Minas). The sweetness and deep fruit of the guava against the soft, faintly salty, milky cheese is a marriage so complete that it took the name of Shakespeare's lovers, the two so right for one another. It is the everyday dessert of the Brazilian home and the corner lanchonete, requiring no cooking at all, only good goiabada and good cheese, cut and served together. The same union of guava paste and fresh white cheese runs through the whole of Latin America, but in Brazil, with its goiabada and its queijo Minas, it found its most famous form and its enduring name. Eaten at the close of lunch, offered to a guest, or taken as a simple sweet at any hour, Romeu e Julieta is the guava paste of the Brazilian table at its most cherished.
Use a good goiabada (see the companion recipe, or a quality tinned paste) and the freshest, mildest white cheese you can find; fresh Minas is ideal, but queso fresco, a mild fresh cheese, or even a young, mild white cheese all work. The same pairing with the Caribbean pasta de guayaba is eaten across Latin America. For a warm version, briefly grill or bake the cheese until soft and melting and lay the guava paste over it.
Mapping Culinary History
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