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GUAVA - Bangkok Apple, Guayaba

See also: Guava Trivia & Facts

Guava (Psidium guajava) is an oval shaped fruit that varies in size from a small egg to a medium apple. The thin edible skin may be yellow, red, purple or nearly black and the flesh ranges from a pale yellow to a bright red. The fruit is sweet with a slight exotically tart aftertaste and are intensely aromatic. Its texture is firm; similar to an apple.

Guava is native to South America and archaeological sites in Peru show evidence of guava use as early as 800 BC, and its use had spread to Central America and Mexico by 200 BC. They were introduced to other tropical and sub-tropical areas around the world by the Spanish and Portuguese, and are now commonly grown in California, Florida, Hawaii, India, and Southeast Asia. It is also known as a Bangkok Apple or Guayaba. There are now over 140 varieties found around the world.

Selection
Select fruit that gives to gentle pressure and is unblemished. Fresh guavas are often only available in the region near where they are grown, but may be ordered by mail. Canned guava products are available nationwide throughout the year in larger supermarkets.

Storage
Store ripe guavas in the refrigerator for up to a week. Green, unripe guavas should be stored at room temperature until ripe. Ripe guavas stored at room temperature will spoil quickly; normally within a couple of a days.

Preparation
The entire guava is edible. The rind and small seeds inside, along with the creamy flesh are often used in making jellies, preserves, and sauce. To be eaten raw, guava needs to be very ripe. Guava is typically sliced lengthwise into 5 or 6 slices and seeds discarded.

They may be cooked to make ‘guava cheese,’ a stiff paste, and are excellent for sorbets, ices, jellies and preserves.  Guava jelly was declared by the American author Wilson Popenoe (1920) to be "generally accepted as easily the best jelly in the world."

Nutrition
Guavas have 5 to 10 times more vitamin C as an orange. They are also high in vitamin A, folate, fiber, copper, manganese and potassium.
1 cup of fresh guava contains about 110 calories,
Protein 4.2g; Total fat 1.6g; Saturated fat 0.4g; Carbohydrates 23.6g; Fibere 8.9g