Tropical Friday…Guava…

Guava fruits are typically classified by their coloured flesh.

Guava tastes anywhere from super sweet to tart, depending on the variety. It does have a unique fruity taste similar to a pear and a strawberry.

I have so far only eaten the pink Guava that is until my neighbours gave us some of the green guavas which had white flesh.

The Guava also comes in the following 4 colours…

  • White guava or tropic white guava
  • Pink guava
  • Yellow guava or Yellow strawberry guava
  • Lemon guava

White guava seems to be the only guava I have seen thus far this season I will have to keep my eyes open for the pink-fleshed Guava…

Thai guavas are generally the size of a softball with apple green skin that can range from bumpy to smooth. The flesh is white with pale yellow seeds and tends to be drier than the pink type of guavas. Thai guavas are only mildly sweet and have very little fragrance. The crunchy flesh and hard seeds are both edible.

The name “Fa-rang” in Thai refers to guava being introduced into the Thai region via European traders in the 17th century. – Guava is a common tropical fruit and is very popular among Thais.

The Thai government encouraged farmers to grow Kim Chu Guava due to the high demand and price. In the old days, Thailand was abundant with pink guavas. As many guava trees grew from the seeds found in bird droppings, Thais referred to this pink-fleshed guava as farang khi nok, “bird dropping guava”. The fruit of this variety is smaller, with a softer pink flesh and a floral smell when ripe, making it ideal for juices and jam.

An intriguing fact about a guava plant is that it can be grown and bear fruit in a pot indoors- something that only a few tropical fruit plants can do.

Typically, if grown from a seed, a guava tree bears within two years and can live to over 40 years!

Guava fruits are amazingly rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, and fibre. This remarkable nutrient content gives them many health benefits.

The guava is considered one of the old Thai fruits, imported into the kingdom during the reign of King Narai almost 300 years ago.

Every part of the plant of the fruit, the leaves, trunk, bark, and roots all had qualities that made them useful. Its roots are believed to be effective against nosebleeds and the bark yields a dye. The wood of the branches and trunk is extremely tough. Larger pieces can be used to make handles for knives or other tools.

Children like to take the Y-shaped joints where branches divide to make slingshots they use to hunt small animals or use as a toy.  

The leaves of the guava tree have an amazing ability to absorb odours. Archaeologists would throw branches from guava trees into the pits they dug to absorb old and musty smells.

Drunk husbands used to chew some guava leaves before they arrived home to their wives and family to get rid of the smell of alcohol on their breath. 

How to eat the Guava:

Simply rinse the guava off and dive in, eating the rind and the seeds. In fact, the rind of guava has more vitamin C than an entire orange.

If you’d like to cut the guava, place it on a cutting board and halve it. Then slice it into wedges as you would an apple.

If you prefer not to eat the rind, halve the guava and use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the rind, as you would an avocado. Then, you can slice the flesh if you’d like.

Some guavas have pink flesh and some have white flesh. Sometimes they have tougher seeds that you may find unpleasant—though they are completely edible. You can remove these using your fingers or the pointed end of your knife.

Guavas are also a great way to get out of your boring smoothie routine. Blend it with other tropical fruits to give your portable morning breakfast an island feel. Or slice up and just give it a spritz of lime juice.

They’re especially delicious in a tropical fruit salad or layered in a trifle.

To add a spicy kick to the fruit, Thais dip it into a Prik Gluea (a condiment with a salt, sugar and chilli blend), but for people with tame taste buds, the sweet and sour zing of a salted plum powder dip can also be offered…

Thank you for joining me today...I hope you join me tomorrow for Saturday Snippets which will be a fun and informative post…x

 

 

 

33 thoughts on “Tropical Friday…Guava…”

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I’m sure that if you don’t have the climate to grow Guava you can grow other beautiful fruits which we can’t….Happy growing, Jason 🙂

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  6. petespringerauthor

    I’ve never tried the actual fruit, but I do enjoy a couple of non-alcoholic drinks that have guava in them. Very tasty!

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      They certainly are a lovely fruit Arlene … I can only seem to get white ones at the moment I am on the look out for the pink ones 🙂

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      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        How lovely Arlene it is said that Guavas fruit quite quickly most self pollinate some varieties produce more fruit if another variety is close by…I hope you get flowers soon it would be lovely as you like guavas so much 🙂

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  8. Jim Borden

    somehow I’ve never tried guava, but you make it sound quite tasty. and that’s funny about the husbands eating guava to try and get the smell of alcohol off their breath…

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      You wouldn’t believe some of the tales that I come across here many of which are laughable…. Old wifes tales we call them in the UK.. I think you would like Guava, Jim x

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  11. D. Wallace Peach

    My mother will only drink coffee and pink guava juice, Carol. I used to clean out the grocery store of cans every time I went shopping for her, and now they finally stocks enough to keep her happy. It’s a wonderful fruit. I would love to be able to get them fresh. 🙂

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