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Açaí is a bay growing on top of palm trees in the Amazon. Known for its nutritional virtues, it has become the must-have of the current healthy trend, appearing on social networks in the aesthetic form of the açaí bowl. However, before being a trend, açaí is a fruit that is commonly consumed in Latin America and has been part of the eating habits of many countries, including Brazil, for generations.
Moreover, in the Brazilian Amazon, a legend tells of the discovery of the forest by its inhabitants. It is said that centuries ago, a large tribe lived in the Amazon estuary. In order to cope with a shortage of food, the chief of the Itaki tribe, ordered the sacrifice of all newborn babies so that the population would stop growing. This was also the fate of his daughter Iaça's child. One evening, hearing her child crying in the forest, she followed the cries and fell on her baby at the foot of a palm tree. The baby immediately disappeared, which made her cry so much that she died of grief. Her body was found a few days later, hugging the trunk of the palm tree and her face glowing with a smile, her eyes pointing up the tree, laden with bunches of a purple berry. Itaki then had the fruits picked and tasted them. Finding them very good, he fed his people with these berries, which he named açaí by inverting the letters of his daughter Iaça's first name.
Currently, açaí remains a central part of the diet of Amazonian people, especially of the gathering communities, who consume it daily. In these regions, the açaí bowl seems to be an aberration. Indeed, the fruit is used as an accompaniment in savoury dishes. Traditionally, açaí pulp is mixed with sugar and cassava and served with fried fish. Its central place in the diet of Amazonians is explained by its macronutrient content, which makes it a hearty dish that provides a lot of energy.
However, although it is contrary to tradition, the majority of açaí in Brazil is still consumed in the açaí bowl. Indeed, aware of the virtues of this fruit, Brazilian sportsmen and women, whether Jiu Jitsu practitioners or surfers, have made it a key part of their diet. They made the fruit famous and extended its consumption to Brazilian beaches, particularly in the form of the açaí bowl.