Tropical Cooking with Travel Man: Dessert - Sweet Guava Pulp

Guavas abound everywhere, here in the Philippines. It is usually being spread by birds that are eating its ripe fruits, aside from the locals, including I, who frequent guava trees in our backyard.

The most common is the green variety (turned yellow when already ripened) or the apple guava.

The fragrance of its ripeness stirred my youthful vigor and relive adventures of climbing guava trees, risking my skin with the worm pest, we call it lipay (the moth called Ello Sphinx, common on its trunk with its camouflage skin coloring.

This October 2013, most fruits of guava trees are starting to ripen and I took the opportunity to make a version of the sweet preserve that my parents usually cook when I was still a child.

Guavas (Psidium Guyava) have many varieties in almost all parts of the world, especially in tropical or sub-tropical countries.

It can be grown through its seeds or from its branches by way of marcotting.

When I was in elementary grades, I always save my money because I already have ripe guavas for snacks.

My frequent problem was the difficulty in bowel movement. I also drank lots of water to ease such discomfort.

I don't know, but the allure of guava's ripe fragrance is one of tropical cravings.

I usually eat raw guavas, but its abundance and cheap price in the market made me think ways to prolong its presence in the kitchen.

My elder sister used to make guava jellies. The other one, used to dilute its sappy ripe pulp with water and make a tropical refreshing drink from it.

Well, my father (when he was still living), used to add it's pulp to boiled fish in order to make a version of Sinigang na Isda sa Bayabas (Stewed Fish in Guava) instead of adding vinegar as the sour ingredient.

Indeed, its culinary uses are now recognized in many countries around the world, especially in Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan and Pakistan (its winter national fruit).

Mind you, we used to make those guava twigs as toothbrush substitute. Really! When we pounded the main end of the twig and added it with salt, it whitened our teeth, even without the use of the commercial toothpaste.

Nowadays, I used to chew guava young leaves for fresh breath and for lowering blood pressure.

Guava leaves can also be boiled and serves as tea that benefits blood circulation.

Herbalists used to use its leaves and bark for treating bacterial infection, cleansing wounds and easing pain for newly circumcised teenagers when cleaning wounds.

Guava has an anti-cancer properties which is still being studied by medical researchers.