At first glance, I thought these could be avocados. Right?
Wrong. These are actually feijoas. Also referred to as pineapple guava, guavasteen, or Acca sellowiana (its Latin name), they are commonly found in southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Colombia among other places. Surprisingly, feijoas have also been known to grow in Georgia. Right in our backyards!
Naturally, due to its classification as fruit, the feijoa is sweet and aromatic. Falling from its tree when ripe, that is when they are considered to be fullest in flavor. While we’ve never had the pleasure of tasting one for ourselves, we can only assume that they are absolutely delicious.
That’s not all, though. Being so closely related to guava, its pulp’s gritty texture is commonly used as an exfoliant for your skin or even used in cosmetics. There’s no doubt that we’re down with some multi-purpose fruit!
If you’re ever in one of the warm climates in which this “guavasteen” grows, make sure to cut it in half and scoop the pulp out with a spoon for some easy access and a taste of freshness. However, while we love fruit in its natural state, there are plenty of other creative ways to incorporate this fruit into your diet. Whether you want to bake them, make a wine, jam, or delicious fruit roll up (hello, childhood!) , the possibilities for such a hard-to-find food are surprisingly varied. We’ll give you some ideas below:
Dehydrated: Feijoa Fruit Leather Roll-Ups via Feijoa-Feijoa
Baked: Feijoa and Ginger Scones via Allyson Gofton
Preserved: Feijoa Preserves via kitchenaglow
Brewed: Feijoa Wine (Miracles DO happen!) via How To
Stewed: Feijoa Chicken Curry via Feijoa-Feijoa
“Crumbl’d”: All Good Feijoa Nut Crumble via Food Hub
While most of these recipes happen to be sweet, it’s important to note that fruits can also be placed in savory dishes! The chicken curry is a perfect example. We also happened to see feijoa paired with cheese on a crostini for quick and easy snacking. Just like pears and brie seem like a match made in heaven, so is feijoa and soft goat’s cheese.
Never tried it! I agree that sweet fruit is excellent in savory pairings though. Particularly I they involve cheese. Then again cheese makes almost everything better.