Açaí, Pitanga, Goiaba, Cacau, Bacuri, Jaboticaba, Conde, Sapoti, Caja, Caju, Jaca, Cupuaçu, Acerola, Coconut Water, Graviola, Moranga, Manga, Pessega, Framboesa, Limao, Guarana, Maracuja, Abacaxi and Abacate. The juice selection in Rio is astounding. The flavours are mesmeric, and for somebody untroubled by combinatorics, the potential combinations a delight.
Rio divides travellers. Most think that it is delightful; they praise Copacabana, the beauty of the women, the astounding natural beauty of the Corcovado and the “Sugar Loaf”. Perhaps they ventured to the Help nightclub, regardless of whether they sampled the locals or not. Movies like “City of God” (Cidade de Deus) depict the underbelly of Rio, around a quarter of the population live below the lowest standards set by the International Children's Rights Agency of the United Nations. The simplistic and ideological of the favellas is proclaimed. I found Rio to be a city without a soul. There was little street life, unlike in Latino culture. There was little sense of community, and Carnaval, the spontaneous expression of joy of the lower classes seemed to be encouraged more by the promise of having one’s face on television rather than celebrating the fact that one can celebrate, even if the rest of the year is lived in unliveable conditions.
So what to do in Rio? Too tired for day trips, disinterested in city beaches in general, unimpressed by the food and the salty meats after months in Argentina and discouraged by the difficulty in experiencing the city on foot by day or night, we were desperately seeking a solution to our Brasilian dilemma. Brasil was not the riot it is made out to be. In rumination we stopped off at a juice bar. Each stand sold 50 different flavours, often of Amazonian fruits with no English equivalent. In fact many seemed to have no Brasilian equivalent, as the taste and description of named fruits widely and pleasingly. Thus began a juice odyssey.
Each day revolved around juices and juice exploration. Initially I sought to sample every flavour and combination, but 50 factorial. After a day our bloated bodies told us that this was an impossible task, so we settled for finding favourites within an acknowledged limitation of choice.
Consistently we were asked for our opinion of açai (ah-sigh-ee), a black palm fruit with a distinctive nutty flavour and more than a hint of chocolate. “Açaí na Tigela” is the favoured form throughout Brasil. Directly translated, this means “Açaí in a bowl”. “Açaí na Tigela” is often served with graviola, and infused with strawberry or banana. It was very much a case of growing to love it. The first few açais were unimpressive, but by the time we moved north to Salvador de Bahia in search of better juices, Açaí had become the object of almost every adventure.
The limitations of translation and words are evident. Positively describing açaí is impossible. It should globally replace the slurpee, as the cold semi-frozen liquid never loses its flavour in the way that most ice drinks do. But to explain the taste is impossible, only a trip to Brasil will do, or maybe not. Hidden within the royal purple pigment of Açaí is a powerful combination of antioxidants (more than blueberries), high quality protein (amino acids) and essential Omegas (EFAs 6 & 9). Because of this, Açaí is being imported into South Florida where it is served in smoothies at juices bars and gyms. At the Delano hotel, Blue Door executive chef Damon Gordon says that “By itself, it's quite sour, [i]t tastes like a sour blueberry. You always need to mix it with something. We've even served it with duck.” It is served throughout Southern California and has been analysed in Vogue (which called the fruit “the next big workout cocktail”) and Gourmet magazine.
Known as Euterpe oleracea, Açaí (also known as Acai, Assaí, Assai or Açai) is a palm species native to the Brasilian Amazon. Euterpe oleracea is a slender, multistemmed, monoecious palm that can attain 25+ m. It can have more than 45 stems in different stages of growth and fructification, depending on insolation. In natural stands 4-8 well-developed stems per mature plant are common. The palm occurs in the varzeas (annually flooded white water river terraces) and in the Amazon River estuary.
Fruits are globose, 1.1-1.5 cm in diameter, green when young and usually ripening to a darkish purple. There are some assaí populations that have green fruits even when mature and these are locally called açaí branco (white açaí). The fruit is one-seeded. The seed is surrounded by stringy fibrous sheaths and a thin dryish but slightly oily coating. The seeds have a solid and ruminated endosperm and a small, but completely developed, embryo. The seedlings have two or three profile and the first complete leaf is bifid (divided into two leaflets). The number of fruit bunches per plant can reach 8, although 3-4 is more common. In any stem, each bunch is at a different stage of development, varying from inflorescences enclosed in the bracts to bunches with ripe fruits. Fruiting occurs throughout the year, with the dry season, July to December, being the period of greatest abundance.
By far, its principal use of both B. oleracea and E. precatoria to local people is for the preparation of a thick, dark purple liquid obtained by maceration of the pulp of the ripe fruits. The liquid, locally called açaí or vinho de açaí (although it is not a fermented or distilled beverage), is not particularly nutritious. The nutrient content reported by Altman (1956), Campos (1951) and Mota (1946) is as follows: 1.25-4.34% (dry weight) protein; 7.6-11.0% fats; 1-25% sugar, 0.050% calcium; 0.033% phosphorous; and 0.0009% iron. It also has some sulphur, traces of vitamin B1 and some vitamin A. Caloric content ranges from 88 to 265 calories per 100 grams, depending upon the dilution and on the complement. Yet the liquid is extremely filling, especially when mixed with manioc (Manihot esculenta) flour. It is usually not drunk, but eaten with a spoon, and forms a major and basic part of the diet of most of the inhabitants of the lower Amazon River. An individual daily consumption of up to 2 liters has been reported. It has a metallic, somewhat nutty flavor, with a texture roughly creamy and appearance slightly oily. The assaí liquid is so popular that there are special establishments (called açaílandia) in small and large towns which make and sell it in plastic bags. Although a-basic part of the diet of the poor, assaí liquid is popular throughout all socioeconomic levels. Details of assaí liquid making, consumption and marketing are well described by Strudwick & Sobel (1988). Assaí liquid is extremely perishable and this factor has restricted its consumption to a purely regional level. Attempts have being made to dehydrate the liquid to preserve it (Melo et al. 1988). The dehydrated product is suitable for consumption up to 115 days after packing. With this product, assaí could be made available throughout the year and could be exported to other national and international markets.
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