Flavor of the Week: Guava, the versatile tropical fruit

Guava is a fruit that grows on a tree native to tropical and subtropic regions. It typically has a green skin and a center that shifts from off-white to deep pink, depending on its breed and ripeness.

When ripe, guava is an aromatic fruit with a flavor sort of like a tangy cross between a pear and a strawberry, but it is also eaten when unripe — sometimes dipped in a combination of sugar, salt and chile — when it is mildly tart with a subtle floral and slightly sweet aroma.

Whether ripe or unripe, it is typically consumed raw. Ripe guavas are also juiced and used in a variety of beverage and dessert applications.

Market research firm Datassential reports that guava is currently found on 1.1% of U.S. menus, rising 45% over the past four years.

Click through the gallery to learn more about this flavor of the week and see how one chain is guava on its menu.