You Say Guava I Say Guayaba

About twenty years ago during one of her annual monthly visits with her husband to the familial home in Churintzio, Michoacan, my mother-in-law who lives in San Jose, CA, after eating a guayaba nonchalantly and purposelessly threw the remaining bits of it into her small garden close to the nopal cactus. Within the next two years or so, with the help of the home’s care keeper, a lovely guayaba tree had sprouted bearing fruit. Consequently, having purchased that home from my wife’s parents five years ago, once a year, around October, mas o menos depending upon the type of rainy season that occurred, we, along with some of our mascotas, are the beneficiaries of a delicious, fragrant, nutritious, and healthy tropical fruit.

Known as guayabas in Spanish and guavas in English, they are thought to have originated in southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Dispersed in the tropics and subtropics by man, birds, and other mammals, about 100 species are now cultivated additionally in Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and parts of Africa. As they are susceptible to frost, they are grown only in very limited areas of California.

The most common variety of guayaba, both in Mexico and elsewhere, is known as the “apple guava.” These guavas are either round or pear-shaped and although they may be as small as two inches and as large as four inches in diameter, typically they are about 2.5 inches. The relatively smooth, light-yellow skin which may be blushed with pink encases a flesh that can be white, yellowish, dark pink, or even almost maroon and contain small, semi-soft seeds that are normally consumed when eaten fresh.. The attractive guayaba tree, which is related to the myrtle family, can grow up to approximately 33 feet high and has a thin, smooth copper-colored bark that flakes off; its pretty flowers are fluffy with five petals that are either white or cream.

As a raw fruit, it is best to eat them at their peak of ripeness because if not ripe they are gummy and very astringent as opposed to being less acidic and creamy in texture when ripe. They are fairly fragile, thus easily bruised and have a tendency to rot very quickly-they do keep well when refrigerated for a few days when ripe. Both myself and my, wife, Maria, compare their flavor to that of a kiwi as it is both sweet and tart and only slightly astringent. Very pungent, guayabas when ripe (but thank goodness not to the extent of durians which when I worked in Thailand were “banned” from being allowed in the guest rooms at certain hotels!) have a sweet, strong, and musky odor. While I, like many people eat them skin, seeds and all, yet for some unknown reason, our huge dog, Ebby, who normally could never be accused of being a dainty or discriminating eater, when they fall from our tree and eagerly goes after them will eat only the flesh while leaving the ravaged skin uneaten; as for our male Northern cardinal, Rojee el Bandido, he also prefers the flesh.

Guayabas, when eaten in a state other than raw, are an extremely versatile fruit. With a high level of pectin, they are commonly used in the making of candies, preserves, jellies, jams, chutneys, and marmalades. In Mexico, they are made into a very popular candy, rollo de guayabas, which along with a small amount of quince, are formed into a paste and then cut and rolled. Once our tree produces hundreds upon hundreds of ripe fruit, the ones that Ebby hasn’t semi-devoured, Maria a few times will make guayabate, a preserve-like dessert that is made with local cinnamon sticks and brown sugar; I will either eat it as is or will make a delicious bread pudding out of it using teleras, shredded coconut, a little mango juice, and a tablet of Mexican chocolate.

The following is just a partial list of how additionally guayabas may be utilized when prepared: pies; tarts; cakes; cheesecakes; breads; puddings; juices; agua frescas; milk shakes; salads; sauces; relishes; ice creams; sherbets; popsicles; and butters. In southern Mexico, you will find them in such dishes as guayaba leg of lamb and in guayaba curry. Moreover, in the region of Mexico that we live in, guayaba atole/a traditional masa-based warm porridge is either the first or second most popular, along with pineapple, of the many atoles that are imbibed here. Used for the application of heat/cooking, guava wood is utilized for the smoking of meat in Hawaii while in the U.S. it is used for grilling and barbequing as are its leaves in Cuba.

Considered by some to be a “super fruit,” they are low in calories and fat and are known as a useful antioxidant. Nutritionally, guayabas are rich in dietary fibre, Vitamins A and C, thiamin, folic acid, potassium, copper, and manganese. In fact, their vitamin C content (especially the ones with pink or maroon flesh) is said to be a couple or few times greater than oranges while their amount of potassium is greater than that of bananas. They are also a very good source of B-complex vitamins.

Particularly their leaves and bark through research have been implicated as having many potential medical uses such as in treating certain cancers like colon cancer, bacterial infections, inflammation and pain. Some studies suggest that the pink fleshed guayabas may prevent damage from ultraviolet rays and may offer protection from prostrate cancer. In Mexico, as a folk medicine, guayabas are used for the treatment of diabetes, constipation, and diarrhea.

Overall, as for me, I really enjoy eating them both fresh and prepared in a variety of ways. While growing up outside of sometimes steamy yet decidedly non tropical Boston, I was always thrilled when in the early fall my mother treated our family to pomegranates that had been transported there. Never having tasted a guava, I mean guayaba, until I moved to Mexico (somehow or another I never had any while in Thailand perhaps because I had quickly and faithfully fallen in love with that South East Asian country's amazing mangos, rambutans, and mangosteens), I now can enjoy both of those tropical delights fresh from the tree as we also have two granada/pomegranate trees on our property thanks to Maria’s mother. Have you ever had the pleasure of eating those delicious fruit, whether you call them guavas or guayabas? I certainly hope so!