From the outside, a guava looks a little like an apple mixed with a lime. However, on the inside lies a beautiful pink flesh. It looks as appetizing as it tastes!
Guava tastes sweet and somewhat floral. Its flavor is like a cross between a pear, star fruit and a grapefruit, with a crunchy somewhat grainy texture. Ripe guava smells strong, sweet, and musty.
There are a few different varieties of guava. Each one tastes slightly different, so let’s go through them.
Types of Guava
Most of the differences in types of guava tend to come from their different sweetness levels. However, there are some other deviations.
Tropical Pink
This guava is very sweet and has only moderate acidity. It has notes of other tropical fruits such as papaya, dragon fruit, passion fruit, and melon.
Tropical pink guava smells overly sweet and somewhat musky.
Tropical Yellow
Tropical yellow guava is even sweeter than tropical pink and is often used only in desserts.
Tropical White
This guava is similar in flavor to the tropical yellow. However, it is also much juicer and therefore has a somewhat more mushy texture.
Red Malaysian
The red Malaysian guava has a very mild sweetness, but overall it’s fairly flavorless.
However, due to its color, it’s often used in decoration as opposed to eating.
Lemon Guava
Lemon guava is somewhat tangy and walks the line between sweet and sour. This guava smells strongly of lemon when ripe.
Ripe vs Unripe Guava
In addition to the types of guava, their level of ripeness also changes the flavor and texture of the fruit. Unlike some other fruits, guavas are eaten fairly often before they are completely ripe.
Unripe Guava
Before guavas have reached peak ripeness, they are sour. They are also tangy and somewhat acidic. They will smell sort of dank and musty.
The outer skin, which is edible, is green, not yellow, and will taste both sweet and sour. It will be harder than when ripe and you’ll need a little extra strength to get through it.
Ripe Guava
When guava is ripe, it will have an overly sweet smell that isn’t present in unripe guava. The stronger the smell, the more ripe the guava.
The pulp will be soft and juicy with a texture not unlike papaya. The skin will also be soft and much easier to bite through.
Final Thoughts
Depending on the type, guava can be either sweet or tangy, but more often they are sweet. They also have some citrus and floral tastes to them as well.
If you are looking for a sweet fruit, try the tropical yellow guava. Fancy a more tangy flavor, give the lemon guava a taste.