An invisible fruit that all of us know
Originating from South America, the Guava (known in Spanish as Guayaba) is one of those invisible fruits present in our daily lives both in Brazil and in other countries around the world. We all know them; that’s proven, but rarely is this fruit considered one of the favorites.
Perhaps its unappealing appearance, compared to other colors (tropical fruits tend to have exotic hues), the color typical of guava does not attract customer attention as much as others, like mango or pineapple, when choosing from vendors and stalls across the country.
When unripe, guavas have a darker green color, and as they ripen, they change to a lighter green, eventually turning yellow. However, this yellow isn't bright but rather pale and soft.
Many feel love and hate for guava—sometimes biting into it yields a sweet-sour taste that’s very characteristic of its unripened stage and native varieties, or at times it offers a very pleasant sweetness and texture. In the center, the pulp contains hard seeds that require careful chewing; a distracted bite could hurt your jaw and cause discomfort. Its aroma is famous and easy to recognize from afar.
Particularities and Uses of Guava
Its tree, known for its white flowers, bears faithful fruit during its season. These fruits have varied characteristics, such as color and even some that internally are white, though most are pink. The pale-colored interior fruits are often destined for export, while in Brazil and other countries, the darker pink or red ones are used in sweets and recipes that achieve a very tropical look.
An interesting fact is that this fruit has earned the honor of being considered, in national confections, the queen of fruits, being the most used in the production of copper pot candies. In these preparations, guava and other fruits are turned into syrup or jam. For this process, it's essential that the guava is at its final stage of ripeness, with the highest concentration of natural sugars and low acidity. This greatly improves the flavor of the candies.
If sold fresh at this stage of ripeness, it will be profitable but with the disadvantage of only being available regionally and nationally, as its shelf life is quite short, limiting transportation. Despite its quality, this reduces its market and makes it a fairly exclusive product.
Guava Market and Two Delightful Presentations
Currently, the states with the highest guava production are São Paulo, Pernambuco, and Bahia (mainly in the São Francisco Valley). Today, one of the country's strongest sectors is fruit processing, including for producing and extracting sweetened guava paste or pulp, as well as for making yogurt and ice cream. The sale of fresh fruit remains a smaller market within this industry, serving as raw material.
Guava has the unique property of being almost entirely used; during processing, damages in some fruits can be removed, larvae eliminated, and bruised areas preferably utilized. Many recipes can be made with guava, but here we mention two you might already know and want to learn how to prepare.
Guava in syrup: this is the classic jam made from this fruit, blending syrup with pieces of guava until reaching your preferred consistency.
Canned sweet guava: this preparation involves cooking the guava beforehand and then processing it similarly to the syrup.
