Brazilian guava

What it is

This guava is Psidium guineense, a relative of the common guava in the myrtle family. Its round or pear-shaped fruit measures about 1–2.5 cm (0.4–1 in) across. The yellow skin encloses pale-yellow flesh packed with small, hard seeds.

Its aroma lacks the strong musky note of common guava. The flavour can be gently tart or quite sharp, with a strawberry-like note in some fruit.

Where it comes from

Brazilian guava comes from tropical America, with a native range reaching from Mexico and the Caribbean through Central America to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It grows in thickets and open woods, including rocky hillsides.

It has also travelled beyond the Americas. People grow it in India, Java and some Polynesian islands. Around Agartala in Tripura, northeast India, it has become naturalized and grows wild.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Brazil, araçazada turns the fruit into fruit sweets. Other preparations include compotes, jelly, juice, ice cream and liqueurs, with small family processors making use of the crop. The fruit is also eaten fresh.

A recipe developed in Coclé, Panama, pairs the pulp with pineapple juice in a nectar; another makes jam. Both use fruit from La Pintada, where the fruit is called guayabita sabanera.

How it's grown

The plant usually forms a shrub 1–3 m (3–10 ft) tall, though it can become a small tree. It grows slowly in tropical and warm subtropical climates and can be raised from seed or cuttings. Light, sandy ground suits it poorly. Under irrigation in Petrolina, northeastern Brazil, it keeps its leaves throughout the year.

When and where you'll find it

In Brazil, frozen pulp, jelly and fruit sweets give the harvest a life beyond the fresh fruit. At an irrigated planting in Petrolina, ripe fruit peaked in November–December 2018 and again in March 2020. The bushes flowered through much of the year, with ripe fruit arriving in separate waves.