Feijoa

Acca sellowiana · Fruit

40 pairings

The feijoa (Acca sellowiana), also called pineapple guava or guavasteen, is the intensely perfumed fruit of an evergreen shrub in the myrtle family — a small, egg-shaped, dull-green berry whose grainy, jelly-like cream-coloured flesh smells at once of pineapple, guava, ripe apple and a cool whisper of mint. It is usually eaten by slicing it in half and scooping the fragrant pulp out with a teaspoon, and even its fleshy flower petals are edible.

Picking a good onedrag

Green, firm, loudly perfumedBrown inside, winey, weeping

Soft and headySweeter, softer, the perfume turning heavy. Still lovely spooned or blended, but the cut flesh browns within minutes, so work fast or squeeze lemon over it.Eat today

SkinGreen with a few bronze scuffs or bruise marks

The squeezeYields softly all over, no dent left behind

SmellSweet and floral, but only close up

Stem and calyxScar dry, the rim just starting to darken

What to look for, from green, firm, loudly perfumed to brown inside, winey, weeping.

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 5× longer than the counter.

Humidity

85-95%

The Handbook 66 group feijoa sits in is held at 85-95% RH. In dry fridge air the thin waxy skin shrivels and dulls, so keep the fruit covered but not sealed wet.

Airflow

One layer, loosely covered

Sealed in a bag they sweat and rot at the stem end, and the rot spreads by contact. Keep them in a single layer and pull out any fruit that softens early.

Climacteric, but a modest producer

Handbook 66 classes feijoa as climacteric yet does not flag it among the significant ethylene producers, so it hurries its neighbours far less than apples hurry it.

Preparing