In the Philippines, ripe guava is used in cooking sinigang. In many countries, guava is eaten raw, typically cut into quarters or eaten like an apple it is also eaten with a pinch of salt and pepper, cayenne powder or a mix of spices (masala). Pulque de guayaba ('guayaba' is Spanish for guava) is a popular alcoholic beverage in these regions. The entire fruit is a key ingredient in punch, and the juice is often used in culinary sauces (hot or cold), ales, candies, dried snacks, fruit bars, and desserts, or dipped in chamoy. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the popular beverage agua fresca is often made with guava. 'Thai maroon' guava, a red apple guava cultivar In Cuba and Mexico, the leaves are used in barbecues. Guava wood is used for meat smoking in Hawaii, and is used at barbecue competitions across the United States. By contrast, several guava species have become rare due to habitat destruction and at least one (Jamaican guava, P. littorale) has become an aggressive invasive species threatening extinction to more than 100 other plant species. The fruit is cultivated and favored by humans, and many other animals such as birds consume it, readily dispersing the seeds in their droppings. The bacterium Erwinia psidii causes rot diseases of the apple guava. Mites, like Pronematus pruni and Tydeus munsteri, are known to be crop pests of the apple guava ( P. Psidium species are eaten by the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera, mainly moths like the Ello Sphinx ( Erinnyis ello), Eupseudosoma aberrans, E.

When grown from seed, guava trees can bear fruit in two years, and can continue to do so for forty years. Guavas are of interest to home growers in subtropical areas as one of the few tropical fruits that can grow to fruiting size in pots indoors.

Mature trees of most species are fairly cold-hardy and can survive temperatures slightly colder than −4 ☌ (25 ☏) for short periods of time, but younger plants will likely freeze to the ground. Guavas also grow in southwestern Europe, specifically the Costa del Sol on Málaga, (Spain) and Greece where guavas have been commercially grown since the middle of the 20th century and they proliferate as cultivars. Several species are grown commercially apple guava and its cultivars are those most commonly traded internationally. Guavas are cultivated in many tropical and subtropical countries. However, they are a primary host of the Caribbean fruit fly and must be protected against infestation in areas of Florida where this pest is present. Guavas were introduced to Florida, US in the 19th century and are grown there as far north as Sarasota, Chipley, Waldo and Fort Pierce. Guava was adopted as a crop in subtropical and tropical Asia, parts of the United States (from Tennessee and North Carolina, southward, as well as the west and Hawaii), tropical Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Archaeological sites in Peru yielded evidence of guava cultivation as early as 2500 BCE. Guavas originated from an area thought to extend from Mexico, Central America or northern South America throughout the Caribbean region. It has been adapted in many European and Asian languages, having a similar form. The name derived from the Taíno, a language of the Awawaks as guayabo for guava tree via the Spanish for guayaba. The term guava appears to have been in use since the mid- 16th century.

Guava nectar