I saw feijoa at the market. What kind of berry is this and what to do with it?

While on vacation in Sochi, during our next trip to the market, my friend and I bought feijoas. The seller did not really explain what kind of berry it was. She only said that it should be eaten without peeling it. I didn't like this option too much (to put it mildly). After talking a little with the locals, we managed to learn a lot of interesting things about it.

Feijoa - what is it?

The exotic feijoa fruit cannot be confused with anything. They have a rich cucumber color, the same stalk-shaped tail, and are shaped like an egg. In the fall, feijoas are sold on every corner in Sochi - both by grandmothers and wholesalers. Small berries (3–7 cm) are cheaper, large ones (10–15 cm) are more expensive. The price per kilogram starts from 40 rubles. and ends at 200–220 rubles.

As it turns out, feijoa cultivation began relatively recently - at the end of the 19th century. They were brought to Russia even later. In nature, a low tree grows in the subtropics of South America. Our crop is grown mainly in the Krasnodar region.

Despite its youth, feijoa has its own legend:

“A young man fell in love with the daughter of the sea king. As usual, he began to ask for the princess’s hand. The father gave his consent, but set a condition: to forget about land forever and live young for the rest of his life at sea. They played a magnificent wedding. The prince lived with the princess, they did not grieve, but only the young man was overcome by longing for his homeland. He decided to escape. And at the very moment when he came ashore, the king of the sea noticed him.The ruler was very angry and punished the prince - he turned him into a tree that blooms with the flowers of love and bears fruit with berries with the aroma of the sea breeze and the taste of broken hopes.”

The taste of feijoa is truly unusual. It resembles pineapple, strawberry and banana at the same time.

How can you eat feijoa?

So, you bought a berry, and the question arises: how to eat it? There are 4 options:

• With peel. According to the locals, all you have to do is wash the berry, cut off the stem, and you can put it in your mouth. The peel contains a large supply of vitamins, microelements, and essential oils. It also contains iodine, for which the fruits are so valued. But it is worth considering that the taste of the peel is bitter, tart, astringent. My opinion: this method of consumption is not for everyone. If the flesh is ripe and sweet, the bitterness is still tolerable. And if the feijoa is a little unripe, the taste is similar to green gooseberries.
  
• With a spoon. Eating feijoa with a spoon is convenient and tasty. The berries need to be washed and cut crosswise. Next, take a teaspoon and separate the pulp from the peel. The skin itself can be dried and then added to tea.
  
• With honey. A wonderful combination is fresh tart berries and sweet but healthy honey. You can scoop out the pulp with a spoon and mix it with honey in a plate or pour it over the cut halves. For greater benefits, the fruit is crushed together with the peel in a blender, and then sweetened to taste.
  
• Prepare drinks, jam, salads, sauces and other dishes. Much to my surprise, feijoa goes well not only with fruits, but also with vegetables. And the taste of compote with it is simply divine.

Cooking recipes

Ripe berries are best eaten fresh. But slightly unripe ones will be good in various dishes.

I tried making feijoa jam, several types of salads, pie, chicken in the oven, fish, compotes, tea and sauces. I leave the recipes that I liked the most:

• Refreshing compote.

For preparation you will need: 300 g feijoa, 500 g ripe quince (apples), 200 g sugar, 2 liters of water.

Cut the quince in half, remove the core and cut into slices. We cut off the tail of the feijoa and cut the fruit into halves. Place the fruit in a saucepan and add sugar. Pour hot water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes. Let it sit for half an hour (the longer the better). Compote is wonderful both cold and warm.

• Feijoa tea.

Cut the peel of feijoa and tangerines into thin strips and then into squares. Dry in a frying pan one by one. Add 1 teaspoon of green tea, feijoa and tangerine peels to the mug. Brew with boiling water.

I drink tea with honey. But you don’t have to sweeten it. The drink is very invigorating (better than black coffee) and helps cure colds.

• Vitamin salad.

Ingredients: 3 medium feijoas, 1 large tomato, 50 g hard cheese, 2 tbsp. spoons of mayonnaise (olive oil), a small bunch of fresh herbs, salt and spices to taste.

We cut the tomato into slices, 1 feijoa along with the peel on a coarse grater, and chop the greens there. Prepare the dressing: puree the remaining berries in a blender, mix with mayonnaise, salt and spices. Dressing the salad. Grate cheese on top.

• Sauce for meat.

Ingredients: 200 g feijoa, 25 g sugar, 5 g salt, 5 g ground chili pepper, 15 g each fresh cilantro, parsley, dried marjoram, ground paprika, 10 cloves garlic.

Peel the berries, cut them into 4 parts and place in a saucepan. Pour some water and simmer until soft.Grind into a puree and add spices, finely chopped herbs and garlic. Let it brew for 2 hours. This sauce adds piquancy to familiar dishes. Suitable for any type of meat and poultry.

Finally, I’ll give you some advice: for the first acquaintance, choose ripe berries. They are soft. If you cut such a feijoa, you will see that the peel is very thin. Inside, almost the entire space is occupied by jelly-like sweet pulp with a bright pineapple-strawberry flavor. It's hard not to fall in love with him.

In late autumn, when the time for most vegetables and fruits ends, feijoa with its freshness reminds of summer. In addition, the berry is very useful. It is recommended to eat it in case of poor immunity, atherosclerosis, and for normal functioning of the thyroid gland.

Feijoa is the only plant that can be compared to seafood in terms of iodine content.