Ride Food: All Hail the Mighty Guava

Recently I’ve become obsessed with guava based ride snacks. Specifically the little leaf-wrapped snacks called bocadillos (not to be confused with the Spanish sandwich of the same name). I found these because I’m trying to find on the bike foods that are enjoyable and not a tiresome chore to eat.

Bocadillos are made from guava paste and sugar. They’re a firm jelly, with a slightly gritty texture (much nicer than it sounds, think Scottish butter tablet). Traditionally they’re wrapped in a dried leaf, so there’s no sticky wrapping to cart around.

A single block (30-40g) contains around 120kcal and 34g of carbs. Nutritional wisdom says to eat 1g of carbs per kg of body weight every hour. That’s not easy, but a couple of these blocks would see me most of the way there, because they’re so carb-heavy. I won’t be able to carry enough for the whole of #LEL2025, but a pack of 18 in the Carradice, plus another pack in each drop bag will give me 54 delicious treats and a much needed morale boost.

As they’re mostly fruit, they also contain fibre, vitamins and minerals. I’m not a real food snob, but I like their simplicity. Plus, they’re much easier to eat than 99% of energy bars and less harsh on your stomach than gels. The flavour is mild and not too sweet, so they’re less sickly than Haribo. In Colombia guava paste is often paired with cheese, so these should go nicely with a Babybel or similar conveniently packaged cheese snacks.

About 9 years ago someone ‘discovered’ bocadillos, imported them and packaged them for cyclists of the Rapha/Condor persuasion. There is a long history of Colombian cyclists using them as fuel, so the connection was real, but a bit of marketing fairy dust was needed to introduce them to a new audience. Again, I’m not a snob about this – people sneer at marketing, but presenting a product in a way that persuades people to buy it is difficult and not cheap. You can easily buy Luchos Dillitos online but they’re a tad pricey so I’ve been scouring the internet for other sources. South American food shops are ideal, although postage can be expensive, so check before you buy.

This shop sells a pack of 18 for £4.80. Postage is £6.50, but they’re still cheaper than the Luchos even if you only buy one pack. Buy three packs and it works out at roughly 39p per block! They keep for ages, so it’s easy to stock up.

If you feel brave or skint, you can buy a single 300g block of guava paste for about £3.50 and cut your own bocadillos. Roll them in brown sugar and wrap them in greaseproof paper. I even have a recipe for something very similar, but using apples. Haven’t tried it yet, but I’m already thinking of versions with cinnamon and sultanas.

So far I’m really enjoying them. In fact they’re hard to resist even when I’m just sat here writing, and I wouldn’t say the same about any energy bar. Assuming I have some left by then, I’ll be testing them properly on the Old Roads 300km audax in May.