Sunday, May 13, 2012

Feijoa: Fruit not Obscure Mexican Cuisine


The other day Miss Charlotte posted on her Facebook that she had exploded with excitement upon finding Feijoas at the Queen Street Markets. In my pre-coffee state, I assumed it was some kind of Mexican cuisine and was rather surprised and thankful to find that (a) our fabulous office assistant hadn't literary exploded and (b) the Feijoa was actually an green egg shaped fruit.

The Feijoa (occasionally referred to as the pineapple guava) is a part of the myrtle family and native to the highlands of South America and widely cultivated in New Zealand. Though this flowering evergreen shrub is widely grown as a landscape plant, fruit is rarely seen outside of its cultivation area due to the fact the plant requires at least 50 hours of winter chill to fruit. If you're lucky enough to come across a Feijao seek out fruit that gives slightly when you apply a light pressure and cut it half like a Kiwi Fruit to enjoy the sweet pulp. The pulp is extremely aromatic, unique and as you inch closer to the skin an enjoyable gritty texture. If you see one, they are well worth trying and I expect to see an increase of this fruit in Queensland as an orchard has been recently established on the Sunshine Coast.   

3 comments:

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    1. I can see that, but quite a challenging set of flavours. I rather enjoyed the experience.

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  2. We have feijoa trees for sale as part of our community fundraising.
    Another place for feijoas in feijoas direct just Google them. Feijoas are growing all over Australia now.

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