Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Monte Cristo... You'll be familiar with these famous Brazilian cities and attractions, as well as the world-renowned Brazilian Carnival. But did you know that Brazil is also rich in more than 300 kinds of indigenous fruits?
And Brazilian melons have been exported to China since 2019, and the melons you eat may come from Brazil. Of course, the fruits of Brazil are far more than just melons, but also many fruits that you have never heard of.
For example, "Cambrucci", which looks like a flying saucer, "Guarana", which looks like an eye, "Jenipapo", which has a blue light flesh...
And the last one, you may not have seen, but you must have eaten.
■ Cambuci, which looks like a flying saucer
▲ Cambuch with a strange appearance
In the forests of southeastern Brazil, you'll find this saucer-like fruit called cambuci, which is also grown locally in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná. Cambuchi is a semi-deciduous tree belonging to the myrtle family, close relatives of guava and the like.
▲ The pulp of Cambucci
Cambic has a distinctive sour taste that is reminiscent of a mixture of guava and lemon. In addition to being eaten raw, it is more used to make juices, jams, yogurt, ice cream, mousse, biscuits, cakes, sauces and fillings, and can also be used in savory and sweet dishes
Every year from January to April, you can eat it in Brazil.
■Fruit "fruit cashew" on cashew seeds
▲ The whole cashew fruit hangs from the tree
Many people have only eaten the seed part of the cashew nut, and they do not know that the cashew nut also has a fruit part.
Cashew nuts are native to northeastern Brazil and have been exported by Portuguese colonists since the 1550s. To this day, cashew nuts remain one of brazil's most abundant agricultural products.
Moreover, the world's largest cashew tree, Cajueiro de Pirangi, is in Brazil, which is equivalent to 70 normal-size cashew trees.
▲ Cashew nuts are like a lotus mist or pear
The fruit part of the cashew nut looks like a pear, and there is a protruding seed at the bottom, which is the nut part that I eat every day.
Cashews are usually pulped in Brazil and then processed into wine or juice drinks. The seeds are harvested, roasted and enjoyed as a snack.
Cashews can also be used in cooking dishes such as sautéed okra with cashews, Brazilian cashew pie, Brazilian vegetarian stewed cashew nuts and coconut milk.
■ And myrtle is a close relative of the "Kagata"
▲ The fruit of Kagata resembles an orange
Cagaita, Latin for "Cagaita", is a fruit of the myrtle family native to Serrado in the steppes region of central Brazil. In addition to this, you can find it in the states of São Paulo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and Bahia.
▲ Picked Kagata
The Kagata fruit resembles an orange or apricot. But when cut, you'll find a flesh like a peach. The skin is thin and sticky, sweet and sour to eat, slightly astringent, with 1 to 3 round light gray seeds in the middle.
Kagata matures between September and December in Brazil. When the rainy season comes, they will fully mature and will also fall from the trees. It has a short shelf life and can be stored for three days at room temperature and 10 days for refrigeration, so it is rarely exported. Although Kagata can be eaten raw, it is often used locally to make sweets, jams, drinks and sherbet.
■ "Guarana" that looks like an eye
▲ Fruit like an eye
The guarana fruit looks like a cluster of coffee berries with eyes. The fruit's name comes from the Brazilian indigenous term guarana, which means "fruit like people's eyes".
▲ Guarana hanging from a tree
Native to the Amazon basin, it is highly sought after for its fruit rich in a variety of beneficial elements. The caffeine content of guarana seeds is also considered to be six times that of ordinary coffee beans. It's in a lot of drinks these days.
Brazilians, however, prefer to use it as herbal tea rather than coffee.
■ Brazil's most popular snake fruit
▲ Snake fruit belonging to the palm family
The snake fruit is known locally in Brazil as "Buriti" and is one of the most popular fruits in Brazil. Britti has a local reputation as the tree of life, and it is considered to have many benefits.
▲Snake fruit seeds can be refined into oils
Snakeskin fruit belongs to the palm family and is found in South American countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.
In Brazil, the ripening season of the fruit lasts from December of the first year to June of the following year. It tastes like a lychee and has a lychee-like flesh. In addition to being eaten raw, it can also be used to make jams, ice cream, juices, wine, as well as to make various desserts and snacks, and the seed part can also be used to refine oils and fats.
■ "Jenipapos" with blue flesh
▲ The fruit of Jenippo
"Jenipapo" is a strange Brazilian fruit native to the Amazon forest.
When ripe, "Jenipabo" is the size of an apple, the peel is brown, and with a dry texture, it's easy to mistake it's broken.
In addition to this, there is a blue part of its flesh. Therefore, it has another name - "the fruit used to paint", which makes people feel that it should not be a fruit.
▲ The seeds have blue flesh around them
But it is indeed a fruit, and it has a peculiar taste experience and a strong sweetness. It can be used to make syrups, liqueurs and preserves. Brazilian chefs also extract it to make blue dishes.
■ Cereus jamacaru, a close relative of dragon fruit
▲The fruit is bright in color
Native to northeastern Brazil, mandakaru is a cactus plant that can grow to several meters tall.
Because it belongs to the same cactus family, its fruit is very similar to dragon fruit, with pink skin, white flesh, and black seeds. The fruit of Mandakaru can grow to the size of an apple. The flesh is starchy and as sweet as dragon fruit.
Birds also like to eat it
However, the mandakarudo is wild, difficult to find in Brazil, and can be eaten by birds when it is just ripe.
■ Brazilian cherry like a red lantern (Pitanga)
▲ Fruit hanging from a tree
This cherry is widely distributed in the Americas. It is found in regions such as Suriname, Argentina and Paraguay, so it is also known as the "Cherry of Suriname".
Ripe cherry fruits are the size of coins, have a red skin, and are distributed with seven or eight ribs. It resembles a bitter tomato in Yunnan and a Chinese red lantern.
Although it is also a cherry, its taste is not friendly. It has a thin and juicy skin, a mixture of sweet and sour, and a hint of resin and pepper in the bitterness.
▲The fruit is very beautiful
It is usually used to make jams, jellies, cakes, etc.
■ And cashew nuts are close relatives of the pig plum (Ciruela)
▲ Pigs and plum fruits sold in piles
Ciruela, also known as "wild lumama", is a close relative of cashew nuts and is one of the most popular fruits in Brazil.
It is native to Central America and is popular with locals. The trunk of the pig plum can grow to more than 15 meters.
The fruit is oblong or elongated, with an average diameter of 2–5 cm, and the fruit has a leathery outer skin and is yellowish-green or bright red.
The unripe pork plum fruit can be eaten raw with salt, vinegar or sugar to balance its astringency, or it can be used to make a green sauce and serve with dishes.
▲Pig plum fruit growing on a tree
In addition to being eaten raw, ripe fruit can also be mixed with other ingredients to make into refreshing drinks, or into preserves, jellies and jams, as well as boiled syrups or ice cream toppings.
■"Acai" that spoils in a day
▲ Acai fruit growing on the tree
This very small berries are called "acai berries" and look very similar to arthropods, and resemble a scaled-down version of blueberries.
It grows in the Amazon jungle and is loved by Brazilians because of its abundance of beneficial elements. It tastes like blueberries, but is more sour than blueberries and has a hint of chocolate.
To eat fresh "acai berries", you need to pick them in the wild, because after it is picked, it will deteriorate in one day, so most of the "acai berries" that can be eaten are made into dried fruits or candied fruits.
■Cupuacu, Brazil
Brazilian cacao fruit picked
It's a fruit you've eaten, but you may not have seen.
It is the source of "Kupu Aso", which is the main ingredient of chocolate, "cocoa butter", so it is also called "Brazilian Cocoa Fruit". In Brazil cocoa is considered the national fruit of Brazil.
Brazilian cacao fruit is most widely distributed in the Amazon basin. The cocoa sauce made from it is widely used in a variety of products - chocolate, ice cream, candy, and even cosmetics.
Interior of Brazilian cocoa fruit
Once fully ripe, the cacao fruit falls from the tree and is distributed inside, smelling like pineapple and chocolate-flavored white flesh, with a unique sweetness like melon, pear and passion fruit.
Of the above 11 Brazilian fruits, which one have you eaten? If you go here, which fruit would you most like to try?
Epilogue:
Brazil, located in the Americas, not only has a warm culture, but also has delicious fruits. Each specialty fruit provokes not only the yearning of the tip of the tongue, but also the desire for a visit to Brazilian culture.
With the deepening of the cultures of the two countries, I believe that one day these delicious fruits will also appear on our table.
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