Campomanesia phaea (O. Berg.) Landrum
Cambuci neighborhood, in central São Paulo city, did not get its name by chance: at some point, there was a large number of this fruit’s trees on the site. Endemic to the Atlantic rainforest and still present in some areas of São Paulo and Minas Gerais states, the tree bears a fruit of peculiar shape, similar to a spinning top, and very thin skin. The pulp, very acidic and astringent, should not be eaten raw, but used to make ice creams, cakes, syrups and jams. The most popular uses of the product, however, involve some good cachaça: it can be the fruit of choice in preparing caipirinha (Brazilian national drink), or steeped in cachaça, in large- mouth jars − an infusion known as pinga com cambuci.
