Fruit of the month: Guava

Guavas have arrived at the market. The first time I met a guava was when a friend of mine who had spent time in Hawai'i served me POG (Passionfruit, Orange, and Guava) juice. I've since had the opportunity to eat guavas in tropical places and they've never been my favourite. I think it has to do with the seeds. If your small guava has many seeds it can be a very crunchy experience, but the seeds are like concrete so it can be a bit unpleasant. I have just learned, eating guava in Israel with my fruit expert friend, that you want your guava very ripe and you want to swallow the little seeds - don't attempt to break them down. This has improved my experience eating and feelings toward guavas.

I'm not sure what variety these are, but they are not any of the apple guava varieties - those are shaped like apples and of a different colour.  These guavas are yellow, pear shaped and pear sized, with wrinkly stiff skin. To eat: wash and go. The texture is smoother than a pear, but with these little seeds in the centre. I suppose one could scoop the seeds out, but I've never met anyone who does.

Guava half - centre of little seeds

Guavas are fragrant! There are few fruits as smelly as the guava. For the most part it is a nice smell, but it can become overwhelming. I left a small box of guavas on the kitchen counter last night and I woke up to the smell of guava having permeated every corner of the apartment.

As noted in the pomegranate post - guavas are in the same order as pomegranates (like second cousins). Here you can see a bit of resemblance - the flower end of the fruits look like little crowns.

Flower end like a pomegranate

For the health conscious North American: guavas are great sources of fibre and Vitamin C! Enjoy!