guava and fresh farmer’s cheese pressed sandwiches on cuban bread and guava + queso blanco canapes
If you’re not familiar with it already, I’m going to introduce you to one of the simplest and most fantastically delicious snacks or desserts you’ll ever discover: the Cuban ‘timbita.’ An intoxicating combination of salty, effluvious cheese and sweet, exotic guava that takes nearly no effort to prepare. Elegant in its savory/sweet dynamic, timbitas have been a staple for Cubans since their creation in the 19th century.
As the story goes, in the mid-1800’s, a group of European workers came to Cuba during a time of economic hardship in order to build a railroad to Havana. During their lunch time they noticed that their native Cuban counterparts would eat an odd sandwich made with sweet guava paste and baguette-style bread. The Cuban workers, all from the most humble of backgrounds, explained that most households in Cuba made some form of guava paste from the ubiquitous fruit, which grew everywhere on the island.
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