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ABOUT THE AMAZON by Rebeca Lerer
At first sight, one might think it’s been made out of fine italian grapes. But it is thicker, darker and more viscus. It’s called Amazon wine by some and the forest's milk by others. Made out of small black coconuts, açai is a traditional and very important component of the basic Amazonian diet. Rich in nutrients, açai is found on millions of palm trees spread all through the Amazon basin. Traditional forest inhabitants such as indigenous people and rubber tapers gather açaí branches and follow a careful preparation process. First, the fruit is taken off the branch. Then it is washed over and over again, and submerged in tepid water for a short while. It softens the fruit skin, making the next step easier. Using their hands or some kind of crushing instrument, the black fruits are smashed over and over again in wooden buckets, until a thick juice is produced. The extract is sifted and then mixed with manioc flower, resulting in an almost complete meal. In the state of Para, women use açai to feed their babies when they have difficulties lactating. Recently introduced in the southern Brazilian market, açaí ice cream, a variation on which banana and guarana extract are added, is a big hit due to its energetic and healthy properties. In another effort to get further integrated in Amazonian culture, some of the Amazon Guardian's crew have made several attempts at preparing açai and have shared the "fruits of their labour" with the crew. Our process includes gathering the branches in the forest or buying the fruits from small canoes that stop by the ship. The first couple of attempts have been good enough (no big complaints so far), although it takes hours and leaves the mess in a mess. But we are getting there.
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The queen of the forest |
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