In brief
- Guava duff: dough rolled around a guava filling, steamed and served with a butter and rum sauce
- Origin: Bahamas
- Essential ingredients: guava, flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon, rum
- A festive dessert, made as a family for special occasions
Origins and cultural history of guava duff
Guava duff belongs to the “duff” family, rolled steamed puddings of British heritage, like the plum duff traditionally served at Christmas. The Bahamas, a former British colony, made it into a local specialty by replacing the original filling with guava, a fruit widely grown across the archipelago.
Today it is a convivial Bahamian dessert, made as a family and served on special occasions, always accompanied by its butter and rum sauce poured over just before serving.
What are the essential ingredients of guava duff
Guava duff is made of a leavened dough rolled around a guava filling, with a sauce served separately.
- guava
- flour
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- cinnamon and allspice
- rum
What to know about guava duff
Guava duff is a dessert from the Bahamas, a leavened dough rolled around a stuffing of guava and steamed. It belongs to the family of “duffs”, rolled puddings of British heritage, like the plum duff served at Christmas. It is prepared within the family for special occasions, with a butter and rum sauce poured over just before serving. This sauce is not cooked: it keeps all its alcohol and is not suitable for children or for people who avoid alcohol.
Frequently asked questions about guava duff
Does the guava duff sauce contain alcohol once served?
Yes: unlike the dough, the rum sauce is not cooked, it is simply whisked with the butter and icing sugar. It therefore keeps all the alcohol from the rum added and is not suitable for children or for people who avoid alcohol.
Can fresh guavas be replaced with jam or canned pulp?
Yes, this is even the most common approach outside the Bahamas: guava jam or canned pulp easily replace fresh fruit in the filling, while slightly reducing the added sugar since they are already sweetened.
Where can I find the ingredients for guava duff in France?
NKOSI sells the guava jam, ground cinnamon, unsweetened condensed milk and cane sugar used in this recipe and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
