Fruits : Standard groups

 

guava

 

Botanical name: Psidium guajava


Guave

 

Guavas probably stem from the region of southern Mexico, from where they were spread by birds, animals and man throughout the entire Central American are and the Caribbean. In the course of the 19th century, they were also taken to North Africa, the Near East, and the French Mediterranean coast and as far as India.

 

Guavas are cultivated today chiefly in South America, India, Mexico, the USA (Hawaii and southern Florida), and Malaysia and are found growing wild in many regions of the world where the climate is favourable.

 

Availability

Guavas are available in Germany all year round, but the amount imported is quite small, because the fruits are very sensitive to pressure and therefore difficult to transport.

 

Between February and May, guavas come from Central and South America; from September to November smaller amounts from Israel and California are on sale.

 

Appearance, taste, characteristics

Guavas are rounded, pear-shaped fruits that can weigh between 30 and 100 g. The waxy skin of the fruits is light-green or yellow, sometimes with a touch of pink or white. Their juicy, firm pulp can be greenish-white, yellow, pink or salmon colour, depending on the variety. The pulp is divided into 4-5 chambers, which contain - again depending on the variety - many or only a few sharp-edged seeds that can be eaten without hesitation. The flavour of the guava is a zesty sweet-sour and reminiscent of a mixture of pear, quince and fig.

 

One variety is the strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum), which stems from Brazil and is common in South America as well as in Africa, China and India. Two different types of strawberry guava are available: yellow and dark red. At just about 2.5-4 cm in diameter, they are considerably smaller than the guava.

 

Ingredients

Compared with other exotic fruits, guavas contain quite a large amount of Vitamin C. They are also high in fibre.

 

100 g contain:

 

 

Guava, fresh

Energy (kcal)

55

Water (g)

80

Protein (g)

1

Fat (g)

1

Carbohydrates (g)

11

Fibre (g)

6

Vitamin C (mg)

37

Vitamin A (RE) (µg)

9

Folic acid (µg)

30

Potassium (mg)

232

Sodium (mg)

37

Calcium (mg)

21

Magnesium (mg)

17

Iron (mg)

0.2

 

Quality criteria, optimal storage conditions

Guavas spoil quickly. They must therefore be harvested while still unripe. Unfortunately, after-ripened guavas do not taste as good as those that are harvested ripe. You should not eat unripe fruits. They taste like rubber and have an astringent effect in the mouth. Let them ripen at room temperature. When the guava has an intensive odour, this is a sign of ripeness. Further things to look for are a smooth skin without withered spots and yielding to light finger pressure. If a guava shows these characteristics, it should be eaten as soon as possible.

 

Form of consumption, use, processing, practical tips for preparation

Guavas are suitable for eating fresh. You can pare the skin away in a thin layer and then bite into the fruit, as you would into an apple. This fruit is well-suited for preparing desserts such as crèmes or sorbets. It can also be used as a cake topping or in fruit salad. It is used to make preserves, syrup, fruit pastes, alcoholic drinks and chutneys. Guava juice is particularly important, being one of the most aromatic juices. In Germany, the guava is used to add flavour to yoghurts and other milk products.

 

 

_________________________

 

  This article was written by

         

 


 

  With the website www.the-green-pantry.com the Fritz Terfloth Foundation of Münster offers consumers independent and competent information about plant foods and their health effects. All texts are subject to German copyright law. Information about the conditions for use of the texts by third parties can be found here.