Guava/ABC Wednesday

G is for Guava

Guava is a tropical fruit native to Central America and northern South America.  It belongs to the Myrtle family, genus Psidium (or pomegranate) with about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees.  It is known as Goiaba in Portuguese and Guayaba in Spanish.  Guava fruit is often bitter when unripe, soft and sweet when ripe---tastes something between a pear and strawberry, tangy with a citrus flavor.    The fruit is usually green before maturity, but becomes yellow, maroon or light green when ripe.  

Guava is one of my favorite fruits, and one of the first trees I climbed when I was a kid.  There were a couple of guava trees in our yard and I virtually lived on guava trees--my grandfather called me a guava-eating bat.  

Source

The guava in our yard has small fruits, about the size of a lemon, and has a distinct aroma when it ripened.  The pulp also turned red when the fruit was ripe.  It's the kind of guava that is used as a souring agent in sinigang, a popular Filipino soup dish.

Guavas produce fruits all-year round.  My mother used to cook ripe guavas in sugar and coconut milk---it was my father's favorite dessert.

There  is  a  fruit  stand  a few blocks from my apartment  selling guapple, or  Apple Guava---I buy 2 kilos every 3 to 4 days.  From  cookies, chips and  chocolates, I've switched to guapple, a  healthier snack.  Guapple is an extra-large variety--a fruit weighs about 500 grams, about  5 to 6 inches long  It has a thick and white-fleshed fruit, and the crunchiness of an apple.

Guavas  are  a  good  source of  Vitamin C  and A,  dietary  fiber,  folic acid, potassium,  copper  and manganese.  It has a low calorie profile, and a  single guava fruit contains about four times  the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.  Fruits are usually eaten raw, ripe fruits can be processed to jelly, wine and jam preserves.  

Apple Guava, Psidium guajava

Guava leaves have been used in folk medicine for as long as I can remember.  Decoction of leaves in water is a good  cure  for  diarrhea---my mother still treats my dog with this concoction when he has the runs.  It  is  also used as an astringent,  mouthwash  for  swollen gums,  reduces fever and anti-spasmodic.  Bark  and  leaves  are  used  in  childbirth  to expel  the placenta.  The bark is recommended in making complex cosmetics.  Young tender leaves chewed or crushed applied to tooth cavity acts as eugenol for toothaches. 

But there's  one use  of  guava  leaves  that would make  you shudder.  In  far-flung areas of the country where traditional circumcision  method is  still  being  practiced,  pre-adolescent boys who undergo this procedure are given  guava leaves  to  chew  on to  distract them from the pain.   The  chewed  guava  leaves  is  applied to the cut foreskin with the dressing.  It is believed that guava leaves  have  antiseptic and  anti-hemorrhagic  properties. I  remember over-hearing  my  brothers  and male cousins  talking  about  some  boy  we  knew  in  childhood who swallowed the chewed guava leaves instead of spitting it out in the middle of traditional circumcision.  Poor boy!  But I couldn't help but laugh at the thought!  I hope I wouldn't run into the guy in one of our elementary school reunions.:p

Guava has been found to be beneficial to people suffering from asthma, bacterial infections, convulsions, high blood pressure, obesity, oral ulcers, poor circulation, prolonged menstruation, scurvy, swollen gums, toothache, and lung congestion.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

D/ABC Wednesday

D is for Durian

No visit to Davao is complete without eating this famous fruit, Durian.  Visitors often eat it on a dare.  The odor can be overwhelming---I had an urge to puke as the aroma hit my nose.  But the rich, sweet flavor, silky texture and consistency are unforgettable, even indescribable. 

Durian is eaten by hand, like jackfruit and marang.  Fresh durian is available in the markets all over Davao City, and it is widely known in Southeast Asia as the "king of fruits".  The edible flesh emits a distinctive odor, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact.  This is one fruit that you cannot eat in secret because the whole neighborhood would know if you're eating durian---they can definitely  smell it! Some people, like my mother, find durian fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and revolting.

Durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family.  It contains high amount of sugar, Vitamin C, potassium, a good source of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

British novelist Anthony Burgess writes that eating durian is "like eating raspberry blancmange in the lavatory".  While Anthony Bourdain, a lover of durian, describes his encounter with the fruit---"Its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise.  Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother."

Pregnant women and people with high blood pressure are traditionally advised not to eat durian.

a vendor preparing our Durian

 I eat durian every chance I get.  I have also tried durian candy and durian ice cream.  Durian season in Davao starts in August until October. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Fruits in season/MYM

It's amazing how many delicious fruits are in season on this very hot and humid weather.  It is the genius of nature that summer brings  us lots of fruits to keep us hydrated.  Fruits are rich in antioxidants, which help protect the skin from harmful, oxidating effects of the sun.  Sineguelas (Spanish plum), watermelon, macopa, duhat (black plum), Indian mango, durian are abundant in the market, but these two are my favorite---mango and pineapple.  Mango is a mainstay in my fruit tray.  Bought some sweet pineapple, green and ripe mangoes a few days ago...the green ones are now perfect with bagoong (shrimp paste); the ripe ones were eaten fresh, made into a smoothie and ice candy.

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

P/ABC Wednesday

P is for Papaya

The papaya (also known as melon tree, papaw, pawpaw) is a fruit of the plant Carica Papaya.  It is found throughout the Philippines but a native to the tropics of the Americas, and was first cultivated in Mexico.  It is a small, erect, usually unbranched, fast-growing tree growing 3 to 6 meters high.

Ripe papaya is a popular Filipino breakfast fruit; lemon juice is often squeezed over the flesh.  It also makes an excellent ingredient for fruit salad.  The fruit is crunchy when still not fully ripe---I dip it in either salt or vinegar, one of my favorite snacks.  Green fruit is used in making Achara (pickles), and an essential ingredient in Tinola, a Filipino chicken soup.  Green papaya fruit  and the tree's latex are rich in papain, a protease used in tenderizing meat.  Its ability to break down tough meat fibers was used for thousand of years by indigenous Americans.  It is now included as a component in powdered meat tenderizers.

papaya flowers

Papaya fruit has a laxative effect and a rich source of nutrients such as calcium, iron, Vitamins A, B and C and dietary fiber.  It has also many uses in folk medicine---from rheumatism to warts, dyspepsia, bronchitis, centipede bites to asthma.  Preliminary medical research has confirmed the potential contraceptive and abortifacient capability of papaya; seeds might contain antibacterial properties and may have effects  in toxicity-induced kidney failure and liver cancer cells. Papaya is also used in cosmetics and a popular whitening, anti-acne soap and shampoo.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Mellow Yellow Monday # 44: Carambola

In Philippine politics,  a person who is a turncoat or has many faces is called "balimbing"---the local name of Carambola or Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola).  Carambola is a tropical 5-angled fruit with tart crisp flesh.  The taste ranges from pleasantly tart and sour to slightly sweet with a complicated flavor combination that includes pineapple, lemon and plums.  The fruit is juicy and crunchy, and can be eaten fresh (I dip it in salt), or used as garnish in salads, in relishes and preserves.  It is also used as a souring agent in various Filipino dishes.    It has tiny pink blossoms.

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