Dulce de guayaba, Ecuador

The traditional Ecuadorian desserts are a universe of sweetness.
One of them is guava sweet that was born as popular food. More than 80 years ago began its elaboration in the haciendas of the cantons Baños and Patate. This sweet was delivered to the laborer, because its high sugar content improved its daily performance.

Although it is difficult to establish the date when it began its preparation, the bananas say that the activity has been present in the canton since 100 years. At the beginning of the last century Baños was divided into haciendas. In the latifundios labored hundreds of people of all the region. Because the work there was very hard, the cooks of the estates served the peones large pieces of panela to resist the heavy tasks of the field.

In order to lighten the load of food transported by mule from the hacienda to the field, it was possible to melt the large blocks of the product and reduce it to a small piece without subtracting its nutritional properties. This task was carried out with the help of huge pails and large quantities of firewood. After an hour of cooking, the panela was reduced to a dark and thick fluid, to which was added fruit pulp, such as mandarin, orange, blackberry and guava; And spices. Once these ingredients were mixed, the cooks removed the pail from the fire, allowed the product to cool and then dosed. Finding that the sweet - contained in the pulp of guava - was the most desired, they began to elaborate it in greater quantity.

In this fruit are concentrated large portions of antioxidants, phosphorus, vitamins A, B and B2 (better known as riboflavin), iron, protein and potassium.
It is essential that the guava comes from very humid regions, because it ripens there more quickly and takes the exact acidity.

At present the 3 factories of sweets in Baños give work to many people of the city and other nearby cantons that thanks to this office have managed to have a livelihood.

Smell and palate go hand in hand if you try to eat "Dulce de Guayaba".
Over time he became a popular sweet.