Guava

Vitamin C champion

Guava contains about 4x the vitamin C of an orange by weight — among the highest of any commonly eaten fruit. A single guava can supply two days’ worth of vitamin C requirements.

Beyond vitamin C, guava packs more lycopene than tomato (in pink-fleshed varieties), abundant fiber, and significant amounts of folate and potassium. Its nutritional density helped guava become a global superfood — though it’s been a staple in producing regions for centuries before the term existed.

Pink vs white

Guava varieties divide into two main types:

• Pink-fleshed — sweeter, more aromatic, used in Latin American pastes and Caribbean cooking
• White-fleshed — crisper, less sweet, sometimes preferred in Asian markets where it’s often eaten with chili-salt

Within each type are dozens of regional cultivars, each with distinctive flavor and texture.

Cuban pastelitos and Brazilian goiabada

Two regional uses define guava’s place in Latin American cuisine:

• Cuban pastelitos de guayaba — flaky pastries filled with guava paste and cream cheese, eaten with morning coffee
• Brazilian goiabada — thick guava paste, often paired with Minas cheese in the classic dessert Romeu e Julieta

Both depend on the firm, deeply flavored paste made by cooking guava with sugar to a sliceable consistency.

A tropical weed

Guava is one of the world’s most successful invasive tropical fruit trees. Originally Central American, it now grows wild across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Australia — wherever the climate is warm enough.

In some regions (Hawaii, the Galapagos), wild guava is considered a serious ecological problem, displacing native vegetation. In other regions, abundant feral guava trees are a free fruit source for local communities.