Brazilian guava, raw, organic? (Feijoa, pineapple guava)

The Brazilian guava, also called pineapple guava or feijoa ( Acca sellowiana), got its name because it comes from Brazil and its taste and aroma are reminiscent of pineapple.

Use in the kitchen

The feijoa is an egg-shaped berry fruit with a waxy, greenish-yellow skin. The diameter is between 3 and 10 cm. The ripeness of the feijoa cannot be determined by the color of the skin. This remains green or yellowish-green, even if it is already overripe or has even started to rot. A careful pressure test on the fruit shows how ripe it is.

Externally, the feijoa resembles a lime. The consistency of the flesh is similar to that of a ripe banana. Inside there is jelly-like flesh with soft, small, dark red seeds that you can eat. The taste is sour to sweet and spicy and is reminiscent of gooseberries or pineapples.

The Brazilian guava should not be confused with the real guava and the strawberry guava.

How do you eat guava? The pineapple guava can be eaten raw like a kiwi. If you halve the fruit, you can scoop out the flesh. It is also ideal for making compote, fruit sauces or jam. Pineapple guavas can also be cooked, baked or steamed. When pureed, the feijoa mixed with water produces a digestible, refreshing juice that can also be used to flavor desserts or yoghurt. The flesh also tastes delicious in pea muesli or a smoothie.

Vegan recipe for feijoa spinach smoothie

Ingredients (for 2 people): 2 feijoas, 1 banana, 250 g baby spinach, 250 ml soy milk (or oat milk).

Preparation: Rinse the feijoas well with cold water, cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Peel the banana and add it to the feijoas in large pieces. Wash the spinach leaves well and shake out the water. Put the flesh, bananas and spinach leaves in a cup and puree together with the soy milk (or other plant milk). It is best to use a hand blender or a smoothie blender for this. Add a little water if necessary or more soy milk for a more liquid consistency. Enjoy immediately.

Vegan recipes with Brazilian guava (feijoa) can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Purchasing - Storage

Brazilian guavas are not part of the standard range of large retailers such as Coop, Migros, Denner, Volg, Spar, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka, Hofer and Billa (as of 2024). They are also rarely available in organic supermarkets such as Denn's Biomarkt and Alnatura. They can be purchased from specialised fruit retailers or in an Asian shop. There are also online shops where you can order Brazilian guavas.

When buying the fruit, make sure that the smooth skins do not have any visible bruises. A gentle pressure test on the fruit will show how ripe it is.

Feijoa is imported into the DA-CH region and is available all year round. The availability of Brazilian guava (feijoa) varies depending on the size of the store, catchment area, etc. You can find our recorded food prices for the DA-CH countries above under the ingredient image - and by clicking you can see their development at various suppliers.

Storage tips:

As a whole, ripe fruit, feijoa can usually only be stored for a week. ⁵ However, peeled pieces of fruit or guava puree can be frozen very well.

Ingredients - Nutritional values - Calories

100 g of raw feijoa (organic?) has an energy content of 61 kcal/100g. A large proportion of the calories come from carbohydrates (15 g/100g). Of these, 8.2 g are sugar. Feijoa has very little fat (0.42 g/100g) and very little protein (0.71 g/100g). With 6.4 g/100 g of dietary fiber, it is high in fiber for a fruit. ¹

In contrast to the real guava, the feijoa contains less vitamin C. 100 g contain 33 mg, which corresponds to 41% of the daily requirement. The real guava, on the other hand, has 228 mg/100 g and the strawberry guava 37 mg/100 g. ¹ In comparison, oranges and lemons have around 53 mg/100 g. Sea buckthorn berries (450 mg/100 g) and acerola berries (1700 mg/100 g) contain particularly high levels of vitamin C. ^1,4 However, people eat smaller portions of these, which is why the amount actually absorbed is lower.

Also included is folate (folic acid ). The 23 µg/100g correspond to 12.0% of the daily requirement. Foods that contain folic acid in particular contain many times this amount, for example red algae leaf (1,231 µg/100g), dulse (1,269 µg/100g), brewer's yeast (3,170 µg/100g) and yeast extract (3,786 µg/100g). ¹

Potassium is present at 172 mg/100g. 100 g cover 0.9% of the daily requirement. Fruits with more potassium are durian (436 mg/100g) and jackfruit (448 mg/100g). Dried fruits, such as Deglet Nour dates (656 mg/100g), dried figs (680 mg), dried peaches (996 mg) or dehydrated banana (1491 mg) contain a lot of potassium. ¹ However, you should not consume too much of these because of their high sugar content.

The complete ingredients of Brazilian Guava (Feijoa), the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables. In the article Nutrients explained you will get a detailed insight into the topic.

Effects on health

Are feijoas healthy? Is guava healthy? In addition to vitamins, minerals and trace elements, feijoas also contain secondary plant substances that can make an important contribution to health. The article on secondary plant substances provides an overview of the classification of substance groups, their occurrence in foods and possible effects on humans.

Studies on New Zealand feijoa varieties found 14 different phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, chalcones and lignans. The peel and leaves contained higher amounts of flavan-3-ols than the pulp and seeds. The flavonoids found were 6-hydroxyluteolin 7-O-rhamnoside, myricetin 3-O-glucoside and myricetin 3-O-rhamnoside. ¹⁴ Brazilian feijoa varieties found 30 different phenolic compounds, with higher concentrations of hydroxybenzoic acids, flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin) and pedunculagin. They also contained hydroxycinnamic acids, castalagin and quercetin. ¹³

Due to the secondary plant substances it contains, feijoa extracts have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties in in vivo studies. ^15,16,17

Dangers - Intolerances - Side effects

There is little information about possible feijoa allergies. Since feijoa is closely related to the real guava, people with a guava allergy can also react to feijoa.

Folk medicine - natural medicine

In Brazil, feijoa is used in traditional folk medicine to treat digestive system problems. ⁷

Ecological footprint - animal welfare

Feijoas are mainly consumed in the countries where they are grown, as there are few exports. New Zealand is one of the few countries that exports the fruit - mainly to Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the USA. ⁹

Like other exotic fruits, they are transported by ship or plane over long distances, and the ecological footprint of CO ₂ emissions is correspondingly high. When purchasing, the method of transport is reflected in the price; for example, fruit transported by plane is significantly more expensive than fruit transported by ship. Prefer organic fruit harvested early and travelling shorter distances by ship. These are slightly less harmful to the climate and can ripen during transport. ¹²

Worldwide occurrence - cultivation

The feijoa originally comes from southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina. Today it is cultivated in California, Florida, Southeast Asia and New Zealand, among other places. ⁵ It prefers hilly terrain and can also cope with cooler areas. As the plant is quite cold-resistant, it does not only thrive in tropical climates. ³ Cultivation attempts in the Mediterranean region (France, Italy, Spain) have been successful. ^3,11

The Brazilian guava can be found in both the wild and cultivated areas. It does not grow very quickly. Unlike the strawberry guava and the real guava, it does not overgrow entire regions. The small tree produces quite a lot of fruit. The wild Brazilian guava is eaten mainly in Paraguay and Brazil. ³ In southern Brazil and Uruguay itself, the cultivation of feijoas is 'exotic', as only a few people cultivate and consume them regularly. ⁷

Feijoas are much more popular in New Zealand and Australia, where cultivation and consumption have increased significantly in recent years. ^8,9 Feijoas were introduced to New Zealand in 1908. ¹⁴ Since they could withstand coastal winds, they were planted as hedge cover. Numerous breeding programs followed to optimize fruit yield. ¹⁰ Larger cultivation areas are in New Zealand, Australia, California (USA), Italy and Turkey. ¹³

Cultivation - Harvest

The feijoa needs a subtropical climate with low humidity. The plant thrives where the weather is cool all year round. It therefore prefers higher elevations, such as hilly terrain. Unlike the real guava, it can tolerate low temperatures down to -11 °C. There are self-fertile varieties, but it is better to plant two feijoa close to each other to facilitate mutual pollination. Due to the white-pink flowers with striking anthers, it is also grown as an ornamental shrub. The fruits develop between 4 and 7 months after flowering and fall from the tree when ripe. ¹¹ Straw mulch or fall nets prevent damage. When harvesting for sale, the fruits can be carefully picked when they are half ripe.

Further information

The Brazilian guava ( Acca sellowiana or Feijoa sellowiana) is a myrtle plant ( Myrtaceae) and belongs to the genus Acca. The older name for this genus is Feijoa.

In contrast, the real guava ( Psidium guajava) and the strawberry guava belong to the genus Guava ( Psidium).

Alternative names

The Brazilian guava is also called pineapple guava or feijoa. English names are pineapple guava, guavasteen, fig guava or Brazilian guava.