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Acai - The History Of The Amazon's Crown JewelHere is some information on the history of the Acai berry, a fruit that is changing the way people look at healthy antioxidant rich foods. The Acai berry comes from a palm tree that grows in the Northern part of Brazil. For many years, these trees were being cut down for the prized "Heart" inside the tree trunk. Hearts of Palm, also called palm heart, palmito, chonta or swamp cabbage, is a vegetable harvested from the inner core, and growing bud, of certain palm trees (notably the coconut (Cocos nucifera), Palmito Juçara (Euterpe edulis), Açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea), sabal (Sabal spp.) and pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes) palms). It is very costly because harvesting it in the wild kills the tree; so it's a one time deal. Hearts of Palm is often eaten in a salad served at high end restuarants in North America and Europe, and also used in some vegetarian spreads.
Brazil used to be the highest producer of uncultivated Hearts of Palm in the world, with the heart of the palm coming from the Acai palm. With the recognition of the Acai berry's high nutritional content, these trees are now being saved and the harvesting of this prized fruit is now providing the country of Brazil a renewable resource, which has significantly increased the economic value of these trees to that country. Ecuador is now one of the main producers of Hearts of Palm, with France now being the largest importer of this anywhere in the world.
The fruit of this tree is a small, round, black-purple drupe, about 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter. It is very similar in appearance and size to a grape, but with less pulp, and is produced in branched panicles of 700 to 900 fruits. Two crops of fruit are produced each year. The fruit has a single large seed about 7–10 mm in diameter. The exocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of berry and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 1 mm or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp which contains a seed, with a diminutive embryo and abundant endosperm. The seed makes up about 80% of the fruit (Schauss, 2006c), therefore a significant amount of fruit is required to make a juice.
The prized fruit of these trees is known by the native people as "içá-çai", which means “fruit that cries”. The Acai palm tree can be found all over the Amazonia region. The harvesting process of the berries in no way harms the tree. For hundreds of years, this berry has been a traditional food of the native people of the Amazon – and part of its folklore, finding its way into legends as well as onto the table. A bowl of this fruit is usually eaten in the morning with breakfast. In the 1950’s, doctors began to realize the health benefits associated with consumption of the Acai berry. In the 1960’s, the famous Gracie Jiu-jitsu family recommended eating Acai before and after workouts. Recently, several new medical studies in the United States and Europe have found even more exciting health benefits from this Amazon super fruit. In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, these people described it as the most important plant species, because the fruit makes up such a major component of their diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region (Murrieta et al., 1999). The juice and pulp of the fruit (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, Acai is traditionally served in gourds called "cuias" with tapioca and sometimes sugar. With the fruit becoming more well known world wide, you are now starting to see Acai in many difference juice blends, smoothies, and offer by many coffee bars. However it is important to understand that not all Acai is of the same nutritional quality. This fruit begins rapidly losing it's nutritional quality within 24 hours of being harvested.
CLICK HERE - To learn more about what to look for in quality Acai
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