Friday 29 August 2008

Açaí: love it or leave it

Every single person in Brazil knows what is açaí. Maybe the oldest people had never tried it, but the young people for sure eat it, or at least tried to eat it!

The açaí is the fruit of the palm known as açaizeiro. It is a plains species native of the Amazon region and it is a very important food in the diet of the inhabitants of the Amazon. In other regions of Brazil, like my city (Belo Horizonte) the açaí is prepared frozen, beating the pulp with guarana syrup creating a folder similar to an ice cream, occasionally adding fruit and cereals to it. It is delicious and it has lot of proteins and calories!

The first time I ate this açaí cream was in 1998, I think. Ten years ago!! It's not that easy to fall in love at the first sight for it. It tastes strange, unusual, exotic. But I really like it since the first time I have eaten it! But I know lot of people that don't like it and don't want to give a second chance to our amazon cream... Well, once more, we cannot argue about taste! But I always take all my friends from another country to taste açaí! The last time we talked about it with some friends from Boston, they said: “Ah, ACAI, we have it in US!”. Well, it's not acai, but I can't blame them. The letter 'ç' doesn't exist there, so this is the way they pronounce the name... So, our typical amazon fruit arrived to the US too. I know that exist some stores, mainly at surf points, that sell it. I hope US people like it!! Here in Europe I never saw it. If I am a failure as a journalist here or decide to change profession, I can think about opening a few shops that sell açaí! In hot places, of course... And I would pray to people love it, not leave it!


The other amazing thing about having some açaí cream is that you have to hang out! Well, you can go to the shop, order a take away pot and come back home, but this is not cool! The best thing is to invite some friends, go to the shop, sit at a table on the sidewalk, talk and have some açaí. I prefer it with strawberries plus strawberry syrup! Not mixed, but on top. But you can choose to mix it with the fruit you want and have a new experience! This is really an awesome way to spend time with your best friends and I miss it all weekends here...

So, if you have the chance, try some açaí and tell me if you “love it or leave it”!

3 comments:

Andrey Leonardo said...

Açaí is really taste!!! I love it too!

With banana and cereals!!!!

=)

Anonymous said...

First time I left, cos I bought it and made at home, so it tasted like poo. After so many years I tried again, this time at an ice cream place, and well... I loved!

Now it's a must. =D

All about... (vegan) food said...

Filype, I think you are one of the few people that gave a second chance to açaí and it makes me feel happy =]

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