When my mami first told me that she planted some guava trees and was going to be growing the tropical fruit, my first thought was: "Wait, isn't that the dark pink guayaba stuff that we get in a package in Latin grocery stores?"
Well, it turns out I was right–sort of. Pre-packaged guayaba comes from processed guava fruit and, although many of us are familiar with the easy-to-slice snack of guayaba and cream cheese (seriously, HOW GOOD IS IT?!), not a lot of us have had real, fresh guava. And, let me tell you, tasting this delicate light pink fruit is going to change your life for the better.
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The guava fruit is typically shaped round or like a pair and has pink or yellow insides, with seeds that are perfectly edible. It has a VERY strong smell, which meant that after a day my entire apartment smelled like guava–not that this was a bad thing. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't have a long shelf life and only lasted about 2-3 days after being picked.
Lucky for us, though, guava is rich in vitamins A, B, and C, which is just another reason to love it. Although in the past I've only known it because of the way it is typically prepared in candies, preserves, jellies, jams, marmalades, and juice, it can be peeled and eaten whole as well.
And, of course, it can also be made into some DELICIOUS recipes. And while I love the fried cream cheese and guayaba hand pies, my new favorite recipe is the endive cups with fresh guava, goat cheese, and walnuts appetizer that I made for the holidays. In fact, it's my new easy go-to whenever I have people over. And yes, everyone loves it!
Embedded content: http://youtu.be/-h2ZIOetwCE
Image via Irina Gonzalez
