Have you seen this green fruit for sale in the Bay of Islands and wondered what it is?
No, it’s not a naked kiwi fruit ?; it’s a feijoa (pronounced: FEE-joer). ?
So what are feijoas?
Although fiejoas originally come from South America, New Zealanders have embraced them as their own. Feijoas (Acca sellowiana) are popular in home gardens throughout New Zealand, and are known overseas as a pineapple guava, which is the best way to describe the flavour.
Feijoas are an autumn fruit that ripens between March and June. They have the best flavour when the fruit is left to drop off the tree – rather than picking the fruit from the tree.
How do you eat feijoas?
To eat them, you just cut them in half and scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon. (I have them with my porridge for breakfast, it’s delish!)
Or you could make my favourite feijoa crumble recipe (which is fairly healthy, if you go easy on the ice cream… but what’s the fun in that?!)
??Healthy feijoa crumble recipe ??
– Serves 4 people
Ingredients
10 feijoas: spoon out the flesh & chop it into large chunks
Other fruit you like, e.g. 1 apple (cored and sliced), and/or frozen berries (raspberries are yum!)
2.5 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
50g sliced almonds
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Arrange feijoas and other fruit in a shallow baking dish.
2. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl so they’re well mixed. Sprinkle over feijoas. Bake until crumble looks crunchy on top and sugar is caramelised (about 20 minutes). Serve with a scoop of ice cream or yoghurt. ?
3. ENJOY! ?
