IF pineapple is known as the “king of fruits” then quwawa, or guava must be the “queen”.
In villages,it is popular to make them into jam and chutney, but these small fruit hide a secret gift from nature if you eat them raw.
And we must consider ourselves lucky to be able to enjoy this seasonal fruit.
Right now ivi, avocado, pink guava, orange and vegetables are in abundance in the Suva market and street stalls.
In the next few months it will be breadfruit, mangoes and kavika.
Seasonal foods not only provide medicine for the body at the right time of the year, they are also a reminder of foods we looked forward to as children.
Guava is undoubtedly one of my favourite seasonal fruits that I look out for each year.
This pink guava should be eaten with its ripened yellow skin left on, as it is high in vitamin C and fibre, which helps strengthen our body to fight off many types of viral infections according to the website WWW.REDDIT.COM.
The guava tree has become an invasive species in Fiji and you can find one almost anywhere.
It is commonly used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery.The fibrous flesh, skin and seeds also act as a broom to sweep away food particles and cancer-causing toxins out of the body.
The young leaves are pounded and soaked in water, this mixture is then drunk or alternatively the leaves can be chewed and the juice swallowed, spitting out the dry remains.
Guava may be small fruit but they are jam-packed with vitamins and minerals that help protect the heart, blood, membranes and skin.
Eat one a day in a balanced diet for added protection and medicine, or try out guava and ginger sasa juice recipe. It’s medicine for the body, tastes deliciously fruity, and it mops and brooms at the same time.
Sometimes you may find that if you eat too many of the fruit, especially green; you end up with constipation or a very sore tummy.
Another interesting fact about the guava is that it is believed to alleviate a hangover when tender guava leaves are chewed before taking intoxicating drinks, so before overdosing on Fijian Bounty Rum, have a chew on some guava leaves.
And if you ask any of us here in Fiji about wai ni mate vaka viti (native Fijian medicine), you will find many different remedies that can be brewed or concocted to help treat a range of ailments from a simple mosquito bite to a crippling migraine.
Refreshing and healthy juice made from guava.
Recipe:
Three to four medium guavas or 500 grams or three cups chopped guava
Two cups chilled water or add as required
Three tbsp sugar or add as required
Steps
nRinse the guavas very well in water. then chop in small pieces and add to a large blender jar. blend in batches if the blender size is small.
nAdd 1 cup water and blend the guavas to a smooth pulp. chop the guavas in small pieces so that they grind faster and the seeds are not ground. don’t grind too much as then the seeds also get ground and you will get tiny grits in the juice and you get a sand like feel in the juice.
nAdd the pulp to a juice strainer lined on top of a bowl. you can also line the strainer with a muslin to get rid of the seed grits if there any any.
nUsing a spoon stir the pulp, so that the smooth pulp is extracted in the bowl.
nHere we have the collected pulp without the seeds
nNow add 1 cup chilled water. stir. you can make the guava juice more thin by adding more water. you can also add some lemon juice for a tangy taste.
nAdd sugar and stir again until the sugar dissolves.
nPour the juice in glasses and serve guava juice immediately.
