Generality
The feijoa is the fruit of a plant belonging to the Myrtaceae family and the Genus Acca ; the binomial nomenclature of the feijoa is Acca sellowiana .
It is a species belonging to the same family as the myrtle, a well-known shrub widespread in the Mediterranean basin, whose fruits are consumed for food purposes.
Feijoa is also widely cultivated in New Zealand, as an ornamental plant or fruit tree. It is also used for aesthetic purposes in Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Western Georgia and Southern Russia.
The most common names of the Acca sellowiana are: feijoa, ananas-guava and guavasteen, even if it is not a real "guava".
The feijoa is a shrub that reaches the size of a small tree; it appears as an evergreen with a perennial cycle that is between 1 and 7m in height.
The name "feijoa" was chosen by the German botanist Otto Karl Berg, starting from the noun "João", derived from the proper name of "Silva Feijó", a Portuguese botanist born in the Brazilian colony.
Description of the Fruit
The fruit of the feijoa matures in autumn; it is green in color and ellipsoidal in shape, and reaches the size of a chicken egg.
The fruit has a sweet and aromatic taste, vaguely resembling pineapple, with hints of apple and mint.
The flesh of the feijoa fruit is juicy and is stratified into two distinct parts: a clear central one, gelatinous and rich in seeds, and a more solid exterior, slightly grainy and opalescent.
The pulp of the fruit is very similar to that of guava, since it has a grainy consistency (also typical of pear).
The feijoa fruit pulp is also used in various natural cosmetic products, with the function of exfoliating.
The fruit has a very intense odor, which resembles that of a commercial perfume. This aroma is due to a molecule called methyl ester benzoate and other similar compounds of the fruit.
Nutritional Content of the Feijoa
The feijoa is a fruit with a medium energy contribution, comparable (or superior) to that of Italian autumn fruit. Calories come mainly from carbohydrates, while lipids and proteins are lacking.The feijoa is rich in water, a very important element in the diet of the sportsman and the elderly, who tend to dehydrate more easily than sedentary and young people.
From a vitamin point of view, the feijoa is not distinguished by noteworthy contributions. The main molecule belongs to the group of water-soluble and is ascorbic acid (vit. C).
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The fiber intake is very good, an interesting feature in the diet against constipation and to maintain the health of the intestine; thanks to this characteristic, the feijoa also promotes the trophism of the physiological bacterial flora.
Feijoa is a food that lends itself to most diets. Those who are overweight, those with type 2 diabetes mellitus and / or hypertriglyceridemia must consume it more carefully. It has no particular contraindications and the average portion is around 150-200g.
Fruit consumption and uses
The feijoa fruit is usually consumed cut in two and dug with a spoon. In the portion with the seeds it is juicy and sweet, while the area near the peel is grainy.
The feijoa can also be torn in half with the hands or vise, squeezing the juice directly into the mouth or in a glass.
An alternative method for consuming feijoa fruits is to eliminate the ends, cut it lengthwise and scrape it with incisor teeth; this method minimizes the waste of an edible part.
The "feijoa bomb" is a particularly sensual way (used in the original countries) to eat the fruit; it consists in peeling a small feijoa and eating it in two without hands.
Feijoa can be used as an ingredient for smoothies and for fermented alcoholic beverages or infused alcohol.
The flavor is aromatic, very strong and complex; it resembles guava, strawberry, pineapple and often contains an "unripe" aftertaste.
In New Zealand it is also possible to find yogurt, drinks, jams and feijoa ice cream on the market, as well as vodka (for example "42 Below").
The feijoa can be cooked and used in various dishes that include cooked fruit.
It is an ingredient widely used in chutneys (oriental condiments). Its complex and very intense flavor allows the use of feijoa fruits in combination with others to create extremely complex recipes.
The edibility of the fruit is not always clearly distinguishable. In fact, the mature feijoa remains of the same shade and changes only in the consistency (like the avocado); it is possible to check the state of ripeness by applying a light pressure, to which the pulp must yield without too much resistance. Generally, the fruit reaches its optimal maturation on the day it falls from the tree. When it is still hanging, it could be quite bitter. On the other hand, once on the ground, it matures within a day or at most two, which is why the harvest should be daily.
When the feijoa fruit is immature, the flesh around the seeds is opaque white. It becomes clear and gelatinous only at the end of maturation. The fruits are "perfect" when the pulp around the seeds becomes a translucent gelatin, clear and without any hint of browning. Once the pulp begins to take on a brown hue, the fruit is too ripe but still edible; can be used to make juices, jams or compotes.
The petals of the feijoa flowers are edible, have a slightly sweet taste with hints of cinnamon. The most common use is in addition to salads; if left on the plant, they are regularly eaten by birds' fauna.
Cultivation
The feijoa is a subtropical plant that grows in a warm-temperate climate, but needs at least 50 hours of low temperatures for fruiting; it is frost tolerant.
If obtained from seeds, the feijoa has a very slow growth for the first two years, a period in which it is more sensitive to wind and more rigid temperatures.
In the northern hemisphere, the feijoa was cultivated in the north as far as Western Scotland, although in these conditions it does not bear fruit every year.
Winter temperatures below -9 ° C freeze and destroy feijoa flower buds, just as summer temperatures above 32 ° C can have an equally negative effect.
Feijoa trees are quite tolerant of drought and soil salt, although fruit production may be negatively affected. It is tolerant to partial sun exposure and requires regular watering only during the fruit ripening period.
Seasonality of the Feijoa
Feijoa trees are normally grown in New Zealand, where they are a common garden tree; the fruit is often available in the spring season, ie from March to June.
Feijoa plants are also part of the wild flora in the southern United States, from Texas to Florida and in southern California, although there is almost no precipitation here.
Feijoa shrubs are also cultivated for their fruits in certain areas of northern California but, far from the production areas, the fruits are an extremely rare and expensive food product due to their low popularity and relative commercial demand.
