Trader Joe's Shoppers Are Elevating Their Grilled Cheeses With This Fruity Ingredient

It's no secret that Trader Joe's shoppers go crazy for super-niche snacks and new surprises on the shelves. So when a shopper recently posted a jar of guava paste on Reddit, people were ecstatic. "This stuff is amazing, I'm addicted!" wrote one user. Another sighed, "Oh my god. The little bit of Cuban in me needs this right now." Guava paste is a thick fruit preserve common in Latin American and Caribbean cooking. In Spanish, it's called pasta de guayaba, goiabada in Portuguese, or bocadillo in Colombia. On the same post, a user commented: "In Latin America, this is [a] very popular combo for dessert or a snack, guava and cheese by itself or baked as a pastry." In Cuban cuisine, it's famously eaten with queso blanco as small, flaky pastries called pastelitos. 

The combination works so well in so many different countries because of how well guava's sweetness and gentle acidity cut through rich cheese. Trader Joe's shoppers are simply rediscovering that delicious logic and adding it to their grilled cheese sandwiches. The guava paste is also affordable, shelf-stable, and already popular among shoppers who use it for cheeseboards or pastries. It's definitely a Trader Joe's product worth buying.

For a few years now, these sorts of sweet and savory pairings have been having a moment. People love putting hot honey on a grilled cheese sandwich, for instance, or topping maple donuts with bacon. Guava paste holds its own against heat and melted cheese, which makes it ideal for any kind of skillet sandwich.

Guava paste has its roots in the tropical regions of the Americas, where guava trees have grown for thousands of years. Indigenous peoples of Central America and the Caribbean have long been domesticating guava and using it for both food and medicine. Guava leaves, often brewed into tea, have traditionally been used to help upset stomachs and reduce inflammation.

The modern form of guava paste probably emerged during the Spanish colonial period. Sugarcane cultivation made refined sugar widely available, and guava, high in pectin that helps jams thicken, was an ideal fruit for preservation. When simmered with sugar, it came together into a dense, sliceable paste that could be stored without refrigeration. Another Reddit user pointed out, "It's very popular in Brazil. They call the combination 'Romeo and Juliet.'" Indeed, this simple Brazilian appetizer is made with squares of guava paste stacked together with soft, white, salty cheese on a toothpick. 

Guava flavors are certainly becoming more mainstream in the States beyond Latino communities. As one Reddit user laughingly pointed out, it's part of "Gringos discovering traditional Colombian delicacies." Last summer, Dunkin' even debuted a Tropical Guava Dunkin' Refresher, which promised an energy boost complete with B vitamins. While guava paste may be entering the U.S. market as an "exotic" ingredient to some, its history is one rooted in necessity, colonialism, and diverse foodways.