Meaning
A sweet, fragrant tropical fruit with pink or white seedy flesh, eaten fresh out of the hand and made into guava jelly, stewed guava, and the sweet, dense 'guava cheese'. The tree grows wild across the island, so that guava in season is free for the picking, and the fruit features in folk sayings and in the Christmas cooking, its heady scent unmistakable. Cheap, plentiful, and versatile, it is one of the best-loved of the everyday Jamaican fruits, enjoyed raw and turned into a whole family of sweet preserves.
Examples
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Pick some guava from di tree fi mek jelly.
Pick some guava from the tree to make jelly.
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Stew guava sweet ova ice cream.
Stewed guava is delicious over ice cream.
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Di guava tree bear plenty dis year.
The guava tree bore plenty this year.
Origin
A tropical American fruit; the word comes via Spanish from the Taíno/Arawakan 'guayaba'.
How it’s used
Eaten fresh and made into jelly, stewed guava, and guava cheese; a Christmas favourite.