ILLUSTRATIONSRodrigo ICO
QUESTION Christian Pereira, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP
There are more than 300 fruits native to the national territory. Thanks to our 8.5 million square kilometers and the abundance of biomes, you can find species with the most varied flavors and colors. Some Brazilian fruits, such as guava, cashew, passion fruit and pineapple, are very popular throughout the country, but there are others that, despite being delicious, are still unknown by consumers. “For there to be commercial production of these anonymous plants, studies are needed on the time of collection, storage, seed germination, genetic improvement, fertilization, among other factors”, says agronomist Leide Rovênia Miranda de Andrade, a researcher at Embrapa Cerrados. Meet some of them.
monkey banana
monkey banana (porcelia macrocarpa)
WHERE TO FIND Sao Paulo
WHEN From January to June
When ripe, it has a color and shape similar to a common banana. But perhaps it deserved another name: several fruits together seem to form a hand full of fingers! The pulp is whitish, sweet and pleasant.
shit and blackberry
Cagaita (Eugenia dysenterica)
WHERE TO FIND Cerrado
WHEN From October to November
Be very careful if you come across this succulent and acidic pulp delight. Whoever eats too much can end up with a lot of diarrhea! The good news is that cagaiteira leaf tea is used to cure stomachaches.
Blackberry (rubus urticaefolius)
WHERE TO FIND Midwest, Southeast and South
WHEN From December to January
The species is part of the Rosaceae family, the same as rose bushes – and is also full of thorns, even on the thinnest branches of the plant. They protect a treasure: the fruit is sweet and tasty, great for making jellies and compotes.
bitch baby
bitch-mamica (brossimum gaudichaudii)
WHERE TO FIND IT From Tocantins to Paraná
WHEN From October to December
It has this name because the tree is low and many wild animals are supported on their hind legs to “suck” the fruits. As they have tough pulp, they can be chewed. Hence its other name: gum-do-cerrado
feijoa and inga cipo
Feijoa (Acca sellowiana)
WHERE TO FIND Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul
WHEN From December to June
No, it’s not the bean woman! She looks like a guava, but tastes like sweet pineapple. It’s green even when it’s ripe. Despite being little known in Brazil, it is very successful in Mexico, the USA, Colombia and New Zealand.
Ingá-cipó (inga edulis)
WHERE Amazon
WHEN All year except March, July and August
It is protected in long pods, which can reach up to 1 m in length. You have to open each of the “capsules” to eat this whitish goo with black seeds. It looks weird, but it’s delicious!
cambuci
Cambuci (Campomanesia phaea)
WHERE TO FIND Mata Atlântica
WHEN From January to March
This fruit, shaped like a flying saucer, was once considered a symbol of São Paulo (and today names one of the city’s neighborhoods). Because it is sour, it is most often used in the manufacture of drinks, such as caipirinha.
hairy and mandacaru
hairy (eugenia tomentosa)
WHERE TO FIND Southeast
WHEN From September to October
Widely cultivated in the old mansions of São Paulo, this sweet and vitamin-rich fruit seems covered in a fine plush. When ripe, it turns yellow and opens easily. Must be consumed naturally
Mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru)
WHERE TO FIND Nordeste
WHEN In summer
According to “O Xote das Meninas”, by Luiz Gonzaga, this is the plant that, “when it blooms in the dry season, is the sign that the rain is coming to the sertão”. Its fruit is sweet and melts in the mouth, but it also has hundreds of thorns.
They look like brasucas…
…but they are not! Banana, orange, lemon, apple, tangerine, persimmon and mango originate from Asia. Watermelon is African. Pear is from Europe. And avocado is from Central America
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Can you patent a fruit?
SOURCES Books Fruits, Colors and Flavors of Brazilby Silvestre Silva, Fruits & Herbs That Healby Antonieta Barreira Cravo, Native, Wild and Exotic Fruitsby Ivo Manica, and Brazilian Agricultural Encyclopedia (Volume 1)organized by Esalq, and website of the NGO SOS Mata Atlântica
CONSULTANCY Nilton Junqueira, agronomist and researcher at Embrapa Cerrados