Guava
October 17, 2010 • Category: Ingredients
What would you do if you were walking down the street and stopped dead in your tracks after smelling the most intoxicating perfume ever?
That heady perfume was emanating from a modest plastic crate, inside a store the size of a small closet. I put them in my backpack and walked the rest of the way home. That perfume surrounded me like an aura.
I got home and pulled out the guavas and the entire kitchen started smelling of guavas. Then they eventually were eaten. (their perfume was definitely more alluring than their taste)
I was glancing at ELLE (November, #303) and mindlessly opened a perfume flap . There it was! The same perfume! (Acqua di Gioia, by Giorgio Armani). They must have had guavas in mind.
Guavas are so beneficial to one’s health , read here an article on it. A magazine article in Men’s Health listed them as the ten best foods to eat, one guava has five times the amount of vitamin C than the orange, helps with a host of conditions such as high blood pressure, constipation, and many others.
These days in Beirut, kakis are displayed, custard apples, guavas, passion fruits and fresh dates.
Comments
26 Comments • Comments Feed
The Nervous Cook says:
I had my first guava in Taiwan this past Spring, and it was unlike any fruit I’d ever had! You’re right — “intoxicating” is the perfect word for that beautiful smell. I wish it were easier to find fresh guava in the states, but even then I know it wouldn’t be the same.
On October 17, 2010 at 9:23 am
Jamie says:
I love this post. I know so little about these exotic fruits and therefore never cook or bake with them. I really should just jump in and try. And now I want to smell a guava!
On October 17, 2010 at 9:28 am
Mod Mekkawi says:
Thanks for the your post. Growing up in Beirut, we had a guava tree in the garden that produced several bushels of fruit each year. During the night, we could hear the ripe fruit falling to the ground. The were light yellow and very fragrant. Those I find (very rarely) in Virginia are green and frankly sad looking. Extensive info at http://www.rain-tree.com/guava.htm
On October 17, 2010 at 9:59 am
Joumana says:
Mod, thanks for the link; this one has the most exhaustive information on guava I have seen!
On October 17, 2010 at 10:52 am
Christine @ Fresh says:
It is my dream one day to have a guava tree. We have guavas available but they have traveled so far that the fruit loses its aromas and much of its tropical and exotic flavors. These are such dreamy fruits.
On October 17, 2010 at 10:41 am
Faith says:
I love fruity-based perfumes. Thanks for the great info on guavas!
On October 17, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Katie @Cozydelicious says:
I need to find that purfume! I love the scent of guavas. I’m going on a hunt at the mall tomorrow!
On October 17, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Aida from Mexico says:
My dear Joumana, just love your site and food, must congratulate you, made a few recipes and they where all great, as it is not easy to get a lot of condiments here in Mexico, but I do manage with what I find.
About the guavas, here in Mexico we have them almost all year and we make drinks with it, like a few guavas a piece of pineapple and a lime with the skin all together at the blender with some ice, sugar and water. or just plain guavas with sugar and ice water, with mango and coconut and many more you can try with different fruits. you can make a simple juice or milk shake. also cooked light guavas for 3 min. cool them and bath them in a chocolate brandy ganache. We also make mixed fruit cocktails.
To cook them as for dessert just make a simple sugar syrup with brown sugar,a big piece of cinnamon and cook for 15 min. later drop the guavas cut in long pieces and let them cook for about 10 to 12 min. you can eat them cold or hot or over ice cream, you can also make a cheese cake and mix it before cooking at the oven, you can make pays filled with guavas.
There are also very delicious meals cooked with poultry, meat, chili & guavas .
I make a Hot Chocolate Mole Sauce with Guavas & Tequila a real Mexican Gourmet Meal, that you can eat some tacos with shrimps & cream.
Hope this helps you a little to taste new flavors, if you need the recipes please just ask for it.
Your Mexican friend
Aida
On October 17, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Joumana says:
Aida: So pleased to meet you and touched by your kind words! Thank you so much for all the wonderful ideas for guavas. I had no idea they were used in so many enchanting ways (EVEN IN MOLES, CHEESECAKES, TACOS, POULTRY) in Mexico~ You can be sure I will try as many of these ideas as possible! My kids adore fruit smoothies and these sound amazing. Mexican cuisine is one of my most beloved one, because of its richness and sophistication. I will take you up on your offer someday and request at least one recipe of yours 🙂 Take care, Joumana
Valerie: when you have quince or guava in the kitchen the headiness of their perfume is intoxicating; the quince especially when cooked explode in fragrance.
On October 17, 2010 at 8:05 pm
A Canadian Foodie says:
I had no idea they were this fragrant. They certainly are not by the time they get here.Vanja has said that quince is like that. I have never sniffed a fragrant quince here, either.
🙂
Valerie
On October 17, 2010 at 4:06 pm
joudie's mood food says:
Joumana i know what you mean about the smell…. They really must have been thinking of the guava. Its a shame when the flavour of something is totally taken over by the scent. Very misleading and dissapointing. But still like you said, they ARE good for you.
On October 17, 2010 at 6:01 pm
T.W. Barritt says:
I’ve never seen a guava, and the beauty of blogging is that in addition to the photo, you really evoked the aroma with your words!
On October 17, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Sushma Mallya says:
lovely post abt guavas, its my fav…
On October 17, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Ivy says:
This is a fruit I have never tasted but after reading so many wonderful things about it I shall definitely look and see if I can find it.
On October 17, 2010 at 11:29 pm
myfrenchkitchen says:
I love guavas and grew up with them in the garden, but they looked quite different from yours here….more a yellosw skin and pinkish on the inside. I would love to taste yours!
Bises
Ronelle
On October 18, 2010 at 5:46 am
Murasaki Shikibu says:
I grew-up in the Philippines and ate a lot of guavas when I was a kid. I miss them…
On October 18, 2010 at 8:19 am
Dee says:
I love guavas. In Mexico we had wonderful guavas, here I can find them at the Latin markets when they are in season. I had a woman tell me how much she hated the scent once & I thought she was speaking about some other fruit!! I told her they were quite pleasant. I love the connection to the new Armani perfume. Now I may have to search for that perfume.
On October 18, 2010 at 10:00 am
Angie's Recipes says:
I haven’t had guavas for ages….I remember my neighbour had a guava tree and as a kid I, together with other kids, were climbing up the tree and grabbing some as soon and quick as possible…..and RAN. :-))
On October 18, 2010 at 10:55 am
Nadji says:
Quel pays riche ce Liban!!!!!
A bientôt.
On October 18, 2010 at 11:39 am
Bo says:
I love guava jelly.
On October 18, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Doc says:
The sweets look divine, and I enjoy guava as well. I see a nice trend here with fresh pomegranate, sweets and guava-I’ll be waiting to see what’s coming next!
Cheers!
On October 18, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Krista says:
How interesting, Joumana! I’ve had very little experience with guavas and had no idea they smelled so heavenly. How marvelous. 🙂
On October 18, 2010 at 1:10 pm
SYLVIA says:
This little tropical guava should deserve a place among the antioxidant elite. Loaded with lycopene, helps prevent and repair damaged cells. It’s very fragrant and delicious. unfortunately some people only know guava because they’re frequently used in jellies.
On October 18, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Karen says:
The scent of guava brings back so many good memories for me… and the texture and taste is so incredible. One of my favorites! And if I can smell like that too? Have to find that perfume!
On October 18, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Olive says:
I love guava, its rich in vit C ..we had guava tree in our backyard when I was young, I used to stay up in the tree munching its ripe fruits. How interesting that they make perfume with guava scent now..will try to look for that
On October 18, 2010 at 11:22 pm
heguiberto says:
My absolute favorite fruit. Back at home they grow wild, reds and whites. The scent of guava is incredible! This weekend while driving back from Tahoe we got our first rain of the season. It rained for a short period of time. We stopped for refueling and let the dog relieve himself. When I opened the car door I got this beautiful aroma of wet dry grass that resembled what guava skins smell like, from then on the rest of the drive to SF was with the windows open. Such a treat! 🙂
H
On October 21, 2010 at 3:30 pm