8 fruit juices that you can only savor in the Amazon

On the eastern slopes of the Andes, where the rivers fall into spectacular waterfalls to the Amazon basin, travelers will find the aguaje, fruit of the Moriche palm.

In the little one Peruvian city of Tingo María The markets are full of trays with this fruit whose skin remembers that of an armadillo or tatt. The locals soak it in water for one or two days, before peeling the brown peel to reveal an intense orange pulp. Then the pulp is soaked and crushed to transform it into Aguajina, a thick and creamy drink with a half -way flavor between the pumpkin cake and the flan.

Some locals say that fruit Contains estrogen compounds And that men must be careful with excessive consumption, although there is little scientific evidence in that regard. “Aguajina is very beneficial -for bones, skin and complexion -especially for women,” says Gianina Pujay, an Aguajinera that sells the drink in front of Tingo Maria's fruit market.

In the same region, Cocona, a tropical fruit distant from common tomato, produces an acidic juice with a Similar flavor to a pineapple and papaya hybridand a thick pulp, almost oily.

“Many Amazonian fruits are consumed in juice because its pulp is acidic, fibrous or difficult to eat raw, such as Cocona,” explains Miluska Carrasco, researcher and nutritionist of the Peru Nutritional Research Institute. “In addition, it is a practical way to take advantage of them quickly before they spoiled.”

Descending from the slopes of the Andes to the Amazon basin, the rivers lose flow and become roads of commercial activity. On the shores of the Ucayali River is the river port of Pucallpa, the farthest route of the Peruvian road system that will take you to the center of the Amazon. Here, where barges with loading, passenger and canoe ships transport goods through the jungle, the Camu Camu is an essential juice.

This small acidic fruit, similar to the plum, has a strawberry flavor or acid strawberry with a touch of peach or peach and is one of the favorites of local juice vendors.

“It has more vitamin C than oranges“, says Carrasco,” in addition to other bioactive compounds. “While an orange of navel provides about 6 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, the Camu Camu contains more than 2,000 mg for the same amount of pulp.

However, Camu Camu season is short, usually between January and March, so take advantage of fresh juice when available. The locals also eat small plums with salt; They just spit the seeds.

In the heart of the vast Brazilian state of Amazonas, 1,125 kilometers east of Pucallpa in a straight line (and at least a week or more by boat), the palm trees of Tucumã produce an orange fruit whose season only goes from February to August.

During this time that fruit is usually consumed with cassava flour at breakfast, and is a key ingredient of the X-Caboquinho sandwich, typical of the state, whose slices are covered with salty coalho cheese (an artisanal cheese made in Brazil) and sweet pieces of fried banana.

To make juice of the tucumã, notoriously fibrous, the vendors use peelores, blenders and strainers to transform the fruit into pulp and obtain the liquid with a slight nut flavor.

According to Francisco Falcão, farmer of the community of Bom Jesus in the National Forest of Tefé, “people say that Tucumã is good to eat and improve the view and skin.”

In fact, The fruit is rich in manganese and calcium. While the Kiwi, which is relatively rich in calcium, contains about 30 mg of calcium per 100 g, the Tucumã contains about four times more.

Also in the Tefé region “there is a palm whose fruit is eaten,” says Falcão. “The pupunha is a plant that we harvest from December to February.”

In the Spanish -speaking areas of the Amazon this oleaginous fruit is known as pejibaye or pijuayo, and it is a Key source of natural fats, in addition to vitamin B1 and vitamin E.

The pupunha grows in clusters of orange and red -shaped orange and red fruits. The fruits cannot be eaten raw, but once boiled, they constitute a substantial refreshment similar to an oleaginous sweet potato.

Boiled fruits also produce a creamy orange juice once snippled. In Peru, forest communities ferment the pulp to obtain a slightly alcoholic beverage called Chicha or Masato, especially during the harvest time.

In Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas, cooling allows local residents and visitors to enjoy fruits in various presentations.

The thick peel of Copuaçu contains a set of seeds surrounded by a white and fleshy pulp. This pulp can be transformed into a silky and acidic juice. But lately the locals have been using your juice to make ice cream. In fact, this ice cream is becoming fashionable in the rest of Brazil, and the ice cream shops in Rio de Janeiro now also offer it.

The Cupuaçu knows creamy pineapple, which is surprising since the plant is a close relative of cocoa. “It is the same gender as cocoa and people elaborate with it cupulate (Instead of chocolate), “says Daniel Trengidgo, researcher at the Mamirauá Institute for the sustainable development of Brazil.” When you go to the markets huge montons of seeds in Copuaçu. I look at them and think: What a modern chocolate! “

Why have we not heard about the coupulate yet? In the opinion of Trengidgo, “it is a matter of investment. If you take something in the center of the Amazon and try to launch it to the global market without being an exploiter or damage the environment, it will be complicated” ..

Cupuaçu bars have chocolate flavor, but they retain part of their citrus touch.

In the Amazon Delta, Jenipapo is known for its traditional use as blue ink or temporary ink for tattoos. The fruit, which grows along the entire Brazilian coast in addition to the Amazon, has a yellowish pulp that is a Great source of vitamin B1 and Zinc.

While jenipapo can be consumed as fresh juice with a taste similar to that of dry apricot, you can also try the Jenipapo liquor, a type of cachaza that is served in small bars.

While Açaí's consumption has become a global trend, the version served in the Amazon looks little to the frozen fruit that can be abroad.

What many travelers do not know is that There are seven different species of Açaí palm trees. The locals distinguish between Açaí do Paraá, Açaí Do Mato and Juçara, according to the region. In Belém, for example, sellers use presses to extract the thick and violet pulp from the berry, sold in transparent bags and is consumed directly with a spoon, as if it were a purple gazpacho.

Outside its natural distribution area in Brazil, in the rest of the country you enjoy the pulp in yogurts and ice cream.

You can read the original English note on the site of BBC Travel.

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