Guava

Guavas grow on shrub-like, 3-6 m high trees. The apple- or pear-shaped fruits have a diameter of 3-12 cm. Their soft, waxy skin is yellow in colour with a hint of white or pink. The flesh can be white, white-green, salmon-coloured or reddish. Arranged around the fruit axis is the pulp, which is full of seeds. (There are now low-seed varieties.) The taste of the wonderfully fragrant guava is often described as a mixture of pear, quince and fig.

Origin

The guava is native to the tropical regions of America. Brought to Asia at the beginning of the 17th century, it spread to all tropical and subtropical countries. Today it is cultivated in South Africa, South America, Mexico, India and some Mediterranean countries. Guavas are available all year round, mainly from Brazil, but also (additionally in autumn) from Israel, South Africa, California, Florida, Thailand, India and Pakistan.

Tips

The pressure-sensitive fruits are hardly storable.

Preparation

The guava is mainly eaten as fresh fruit. You can eat them like apples, but it is best to peel them first, or you can add them chopped to fruit salads, use them as a cake topping or as a flavouring in quark dishes. As a rule, all recipes for quince can also be applied to guava.

BUT.... you can also make a delicious milkshake here!
Put the pulp of 6 guavas with approx. 150ml water in a blender. Mix briefly, the pulp dissolves from the seeds. The thick juice is then sieved to finally separate the seeds from the aromatic juice. Put the juice back in the blender with 300ml milk (with a little ice in summer) and season with a tablespoon of sugar.