(; ) is a traditional Brazilian dessert made of

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

and

goiabada Goiabada (; from ''Portuguese'' goiaba, guava) is a conserve made of red guavas and sugar, commonly found throughout the Portuguese-speaking countries of the world. It dates back to the colonial times of Brazil, where guavas were used as a su ...

. While the most simplistic form of this dessert consists of goiabada over a slice of cheese, desserts and foods can be prepared into versions of themselves by incorporating goiabada and cheese into the recipe. The dessert's name is a reference to the title romantic couple of the

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

classic

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

with cheese representing and goiabada representing .

History

While the exact origin of the dessert is unknown, it is believed to have originated in

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

during the colonial period when the Portuguese began producing cheese and invented goiabada as an alternative to marmalade. Alternatively, the creation of the dessert is attributed to the

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

. The dessert only came to be known as in the 1960s after a Goiabada Cica advertisement featured Cebolinha and Mônica of

Turma da Mônica ''Monica and Friends'' (), previously published as ''Monica's Gang'' in Anglophone territories and as ''Frizz and Friends'' in London, is a Brazilian comic book series and media franchise created by Mauricio de Sousa. The series originated in a c ...

"dressed up" as

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

and

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Ro ...

in a nod to goiabada and cheese being a perfect pairing.

Variations

While the cheese used in is most commonly either

minas cheese Minas cheese ( or , , literally "cheese from Minas") is a type of cheese that has been traditionally produced in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais. It comes in three varieties, named (fresh), (half-aged) and (aged). A fo ...

and

canastra cheese Canastra is a type of cheese from Brazil. Its name comes from the region where it is produced, a highland known as Serra da Canastra, located in the southwest region of the Minas Gerais state. The climate, altitude, pasture and water of this ar ...

cheddar Cheddar most often refers to either: *Cheddar cheese *Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named Cheddar may also refer to: Places * Cheddar, Ontario, Canada and Kannada * Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar ...

and

parmesan Parmesan (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian Types of cheese#Hard cheese, hard, Types of cheese#Granular, granular cheese produced from Dairy cattle, cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a Grana (cheese), grana-type cheese, along wit ...

can be used as well. When not eaten by itself, can be found incorporated in various desserts like cake, cheesecake,

soufflé A soufflé () is a baked egg dish originating in France in the early 18th century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word ''soufflé'' is the past participle of the Fr ...

pavê Pavê () is a traditional Brazilian dessert mainly from south and southeast regions that consists of alternating layers of biscuits ( ladyfingers or corn starch biscuits) and a cream made using condensed milk. It is similar in structure to the ...

mousse A mousse (, ; ) is a soft prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. Depending on preparation techniques, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick. A mousse may be sweet or savory. as early ...

, ice cream cake, and ice cream.{{Cite web , last=Lorençato e Saulo Yassuda , first=Arnaldo , date=21 June 2017 , title=A sobremesa Romeu e Julieta em seis versões , trans-title=The dessert Romeu e Julieta in six versions , url=https://vejasp.abril.com.br/comida-bebida/romeu-e-julieta-sobremesa/ , access-date=2023-09-21 , website=veja São Paulo , language=pt-BR

References

Brazilian desserts Cuisine of Minas Gerais Cheese desserts Guava dishes Food combinations