Thousands of cups of the purple goodness are sold every day across the city, but is it possible that something so tasty can really be healthy too?
Açai is, quite simply, the breakfast of champions. Surely the number one fruity discovery of any visit to Rio, the famous power-food berry (Euterpe oleracea for Latin scholars) is beginning to take over the world. One mention by Oprah and bang, US$100 million sales in the US.
Açai grows on the fronds of palm trees, hanging down in an inviting bunch, a magnet for parrots and toucans. The actual fruit around the seed is like the thin atmosphere around the Earth, but bursting with calorific goodness (182.4 kcals per 100 gramme serving) and rich in iron, calcium, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C.
In the south, the popularity of the pulp became an unstoppable wave thanks to carioca surfers (served chilled, the trick is to hold it in your mouth to avoid the dastardly head freeze), whereas in the northeast, you can also find it fresh, salted and served with fish.
Indeed the state of Pará is swimming in an ocean of the purpley stuff, responsible for ninety per cent of national production in a market estimated at an eye-popping US$1.8 billion a year. Unstoppable and unbeatable, all hail the amazing Amazonian açai.
The best açaí in the city:
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