The guava is a fragrant fruit that is filled with a tonne of flavour, is really juicy, and is tasty. It has always been popular, but now people are discovering an increasing number of novel applications for it in the kitchen, including both savoury and sweet recipes.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that it is a perishable component, it is not always accessible across the United States. Therefore, the next best thing would be guava that has been canned.
But what precisely are the characteristics of a high-quality guava preserve? You should begin by selecting goods that just have guava, water, and sugar as their three constituents (sugar syrup). The cans must also be in good condition, reasonably priced considering the quantity you get, and conform to the desired shape (whole, half, diced, shells, etc.).
Today, we will take a look at some of the top canned guava items that are readily available for purchase on the internet. Then, we will also take a brief look at how you may utilise your canned guava, as well as how to prepare it for a variety of various circumstances.
What Ingredients Are Used to Prepare Canned Guava?
The guava is a kind of tropical fruit that is widely available and can be purchased in most regions of the globe.
Unfortunately, in the United States, the vast majority of them are imported, they are heavily dependent on the seasons, and they are often quite costly. During most of the year, getting your hands on some fresh guava is almost difficult.
Why don’t you use guava juice instead of that? To begin, guava juice is a product that is extensively manufactured and subjected to extensive processing. As is the case with the vast majority of juices, the majority of it is derived from either apple or orange juice and is then flavoured appropriately.
Second, certain recipes call for the whole guava fruit. This might be used for a fruit salsa, a guava compote, or even just as a straightforward garnish. Whatever the rationale may be, jam, puree, and juice are not acceptable alternatives.
Therefore, if you can’t get your hands on fresh guava, the next best thing is guava in a can. The catch, though, is that there aren’t that many canned guava items now available on the market! Not in the United States of America, at any rate.
As a result, in order to provide you with the greatest available choices, our search was extensive. On Amazon, you won’t be able to purchase all of them, and the delivery will cost you a significant amount of money. But it is well worth it, especially if you get it in large quantities.
Sugar syrup is usually used as the preservative in guava that is canned. Can typically have a longer shelf life and are more stable when kept for an extended period of time on a shelf. However, you may also find them packaged in glass jars.
The natural sweetness of the sugar syrup is absorbed by the guavas as they sit in there for a while. In the end, you will be left with a fruit that is very sugary. Because of this, the method in which you make use of them will often need to be modified as well.
The Finest Methods for Making Use of Canned Guava
Guava that is still fresh has a natural sweetness to it. Therefore, when it is preserved in a sugar syrup, it results in a taste profile that is even more pronouncedly sweet. As a result, the ways in which you may utilise it are more constrained, as we’ve already explained.
Recipes calling for desserts or beverages are the greatest places to use canned guava. These things already have sweeteners incorporated into them. Therefore, eliminating some granulated sugar from the recipe (or any of the other sweeteners) is quite simple to do.
Fillings for pies and tarts may be made using canned guava if desired. They are also fantastic for creating textured toppings, jams, and various compotes and purees in a variety of forms.
Muffins, bread-and-butter puddings, and cheesecakes are just some of the baked dishes that may benefit from the addition of guava, either in its whole or blended form.
If you wish to utilise the sweetened canned guava in a liquid form, it will be simple to include in guava-flavoured custards, mousses, frosting, glazes, and icing. You can get the canned guava in the fruit section of most grocery stores.
It is difficult to find savoury dishes that go well with canned guava since the fruit has such an intensely sugary flavour.
It is not a good idea to replace fresh guava with sweetened guava when making salads, stews, or soups since this will result in a meal that is too sweet even if the flavour profile is meant to be fruity.
On the other hand, you may use guava that has been canned into basting sauces, marinades, and salad dressings. It is extremely simple to tweak the seasonings so that the sauce does not end up being too sweet. One of our most-loved savoury recipes is for guava barbecue sauce, and you can make it too!
How To Select The Finest Quality Guava Products That Are Canned
Now, since there aren’t many choices accessible, it’s going to be a little bit challenging for you to choose and choose. Nevertheless, I want to draw your attention to a few critical characteristics that you should keep an eye out for!
Ingredients
In a perfect world, canned or preserved guava would just include fresh guava and sugar syrup; after all, they are the only two ingredients that are strictly necessary. If the product has a long list of additives, it won’t taste as nice as guavas that have been maintained in their natural state.
Check the product box for any allergy warnings, since this is something we always suggest doing. Certain foods, such as nuts, might cause severe reactions in those who are allergic to them. They are not even allowed to have items that were produced in a factory that also processed nuts.
Form
There are a lot of different preserved guava products on the market nowadays. Today, we are not searching for guava paste, guava puree, or guava juice; rather, we are especially seeking preserved guava fruits.
Guava shells are the most popular kind of canned guava that can be found in the United States. Guava shells are peeled guava that have had the seeds removed from the centre of the fruit.
After that, you will also get guava halves (which is what we like best).
In the United States, we were unable to identify a single maker of guava canned halves. Instead, we discovered a website that dealt with the importation of food from South Africa. Guava halves are an incredibly popular food item there, and consumers have a wide variety of alternatives to choose from.
Cost in Relation to Order Size
As was discussed before, there would be a need to bring in some goods from other countries. As a result, the price for them is often more than what you can find in the area.
Always think about if the cost is worth it in relation to what you are receiving in return. You shouldn’t go into debt trying to get canned guava because of how “strange” the fruit is, but at the same time, it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either.
Cans with dents should not be purchased or accepted.
When you place a purchase online, you will not have too much influence on this particular aspect of the process. In the event that you get cans that are damaged, please return them without delay.
If a can has been dented, the metal may have suffered microscopic tears, which might have allowed germs to enter. If germs are allowed to enter the guava can, they will quickly reproduce, causing the contents to become spoiled before the can has ever been opened.
The Finest Guava in Cans
We have included a list below with some of our favourite canned guava items. Although this is a small list, it does not include all of the possibilities that are out there to choose from.
However, they are, without a doubt, the greatest ones (at least in our view), and they provide shipping to the majority of regions in the United States!
You may also use our buyer’s guide to help you select an alternative product, but we honestly believe that these are the best alternatives for canned guava. You can also use our buyer’s guide to help you choose an alternative product.
1. KOO Guava Halves In Syrup
If you are seeking solid halves that still contain their seeds, this is without a doubt the greatest canned guava product there is. Because we have consumed it so often in the past, it has developed into a fundamental component of our food supply.
KOO is a brand of canned products produced in South Africa, and the company produces thousands of them every day. And this particular product has been manufactured for the better part of a century!
You’ll find them for sale at Aubergine Foods, an internet retailer with operations in the United States that specialises in supplying South African goods.
It comes as a surprise how affordable the can itself is given the fact that it was manufactured elsewhere. You will need to mail it, and the delivery might take up to two weeks. Nevertheless, if you have any ability to prepare in advance or if you are just interested in stocking up, you should purchase a few of them at a time.
Additionally, they provide KOO Guava Halves in Light Syrup for sale on their website.
2. Guava Shells from Jego Soaked in Syrup
These canned guavas are neither whole nor halves; rather, they are guava halves that have been hollowed out so that they may be used as serving bowls.
Even while they won’t produce wonderful slices and won’t have the same feel as seeded guava, they will still work just fine for guava recipes in which the fruit is finely diced or blended.
There are alternatives to purchase in bulk, which works out to be a bit cheaper, but these shells are more costly than the half that was stated before. This may be because they are imported from Ecuador, which might explain it; however, there are other options to buy individually, which do not.
3. Rhodes Guava Halves In Syrup
Another canned food item from South Africa that can be purchased via the Aubergine website is this chutney.
We’ve already established that canned guava is a sought-after ingredient in South African cooking, and as a result, it moves swiftly off the shelves.
According to several of our friends from South Africa, the only difference between this choice and the canned guava halves that came before it is that Rhodes (the brand) is generally a little bit cheaper. The price difference is basically solely due to the fact that Rhodes is a different brand.
But, hey, it’s never a bad idea to have an alternative strategy!
4. Shells of Ancel Guava Soaked in a Concentrated Syrup
The next item on the menu is additional guava halves. These are Miami-based, locally produced goods. They are created with nothing but fresh guava, sugar, and water, just way guava that has been properly canned should be.
From what we have gathered, they seem to be of high quality; yet, we have had a difficult time locating them. Not to add, the only alternatives available to us on Amazon were bulk purchases.
If you need to make a large purchase, this is not a terrible thing to keep in mind. Select one of the goods from the list that follows if, on the other hand, you are just interested in purchasing a single can.
5. Goya Cascos De Guayaba Guava Shells
And last but not least, we bring you another kind of canned guava shell.
However, out of all the available choices today, this one is most likely going to be the most costly one. Even if it is still an excellent product, you shouldn’t rely on it as your primary choice.
Another product that comes from Ecuador and can be bought in individual units is this one. It may be purchased online.