For my birthday (back in April, this is wayy late), I did something I have never dared do before: made guava duff. And, I have to say that it came out pretty decent. But let me explain why this is so major.

Ever since I was a kid, I have had a “weakness for sweetness” and guava duff is one of the Bahamas’ most delectable desserts. Guava flesh is cooked down and folded into a dough which is then baked or boiled wrapped tightly in foil. It is then drizzled in a sweet guava sauce that may or may not have rum or brandy in it.

This dessert takes quite a bit of time to prepare so doing it can seem a bit daunting but the end result is worth it. Over the years, Bahamians have modified the method of preparing it so that it’s quicker to do, but it’s just not the same. Some bakeries use whipped cream in their sauces, which although makes it light and airy, takes away from the true flavors. They also would change how they created the dough which became more bread-like which means that it gets soggy when the sauce sits on it for too long. Finding duff still done the ol’ school way is very hard in Nassau.

So finally, I can tick it off of my bucket list of Bahamian foods I need to prepare at least once.

My grandmother prepared this for me and my cousins when we were about 8 or 9 and then I remember an older cousin helping out when I was 12 or 13, so it has been a long time since I’ve seen anyone prepare this. I took to the internet and found two recipes that seemed decent enough to work with. Here’s the one from Food.com, and the other from a Bahamian blogger.

I actually used the Bahamian blogger’s recipe but I decided to experiment and try both recipes for the sauce to compare the difference. A good sauce is very important to me. There aren’t any pictures because for the majority of the process my hands were covered in guava juices or flour and butter.

The good thing is, it can be stored in a fridge or freezer (if you want it to keep longer) so I’ll be sharing it with friends this coming weekend as I celebrate my 24th birthday. It brings some comfort to know that I can still have a piece of home away from home.