Guava
When I was young, it was common to see hawkers selling sliced “native” guava dipped in plum powder near the school, but “native” guava actually originated in the Caribbean islands, Central America, and South America. It was introduced by the Dutches more than three hundred years ago. Guava belongs to the Myrtle family like waxapples; because the fruit is shaped like a pomegranate in the Lythraceae family, some people say it is named “Guava” because the seeds are many like pomegranates. As for the name “Guava” because it is commonly known in Taiwan as ná-pua̍t-á（林菝仔） and pua̍t-á（菝仔）, it is changed from Taiwanese to Chinese and written as 芭樂（Bālè）; and the name “pua̍t-á” may be derived from Spanish.
In addition to the “native” guava introduced to Taiwan 300 years ago, in 1905, Japanese Miyake Masaru and Ishida Masaru introduced many different strains from Java, the United States, China, India, Thailand and many other countries; after 1975 “Thai Guava” was introduced. Most of the early introduced fruits were climacteric fruits, while those introduced after 1975 were nonclimacteric fruits. The difference between climacteric and nonclimacteric lies in whether ethylene can accelerate the rate of ripening. Generally speaking, after ripening, climacteric fruits are softer and more aromatic, and can be used to process and make juice; nonclimacteric fruits have a crisp taste and are suitable for eating fresh.
Kaohsiung City has the highest production volume of guava in Taiwan, followed by Changhua County and Tainan City. Taiwan’s current planting of guava is mainly “pearl guava”, accounting for more than 95%. Pearl guava was bred by the seedling merchant Mr. Chen Yuzhan in the late 1980s. Because of its delicate flesh and good flavor, it was gradually accepted by consumers. In addition, the cultivation management is labor-saving, and it has become the mainstream strain of Taiwan’s guava cultivation. Since guava is easy to turn soft in summer, fruit growers usually adjust the production period by pruning from April to early June.
People generally believe that eating guava will cause constipation if swallowed seeds together. Therefore, a folk saying goes as “Eat guava, pooping bullets. Eat pomelos, pooping tiny shrimps.” Is there actually any relationship between eating guava and constipation? According to the dietitian, most people should not have a problem when taking guava seeds and swallowing them. However, if you have poor gastrointestinal function, it is better to remove the seeds when taking guava!
Because guava and tomato are easy to sprout naturally in the wild, when there is no toilet in the early days, the guava and tomato seeds in the excrement will germinate and grow after liberation in the wild, so they are considered to be very crude fruits; perhaps because of this, so Taiwanese people often use “guava” to describe things that are vulgar or even untrustworthy, and they also believe that guava and tomato are not suitable for paying respect to God. In fact, since globalization, the expensive fruits in the past are now very cheap, too. To be honest, the most important thing in worship is respect. If there is no respect, worship is meaningless.
The folks in Taiwan believe that guava can cure diabetes, but there have been people with diabetes who drank guava juice three meals per day and got high blood sugar levels. So, is guava effective? According to the paper, the leaves of guava are important folk medicines in Latin America, Africa, and Oceania, which have antidiarrheal and anti-inflammatory effects. Chinese medicine also believes that the leaves and immature fruits of guava have “astringent intestines, anti diarrhea, convergence and hemostasis” effect. So mature guava is just a fruit, it can’t be used as medicine! In fact, what diabete patients need to do is to cooperate with the doctor, control the diet and develop the habit of exercise, regular medication and/or insulin injections. With all of the above, it should all be well controlled. Don’t do the home remedy that can harm your health!
