Jabuticaba

Native to the Atlantic rainforest and therefore very Brazilian, this fruit is the kind of ingredient capable of inspiring sweeping passions. In the sixteenth century, the Portuguese Jesuit Fernão Cardim had already registered his astonishment with the fact that the fruits covers “from the root of the tree around the trunk up to the last twig”, in his Tratados da terra e gente do Brasil (Report on the Land and People of Brazil). The leathery, purplish-black skin is filled with a juicy and sweet white flesh, and one or more slippery pits. Jabuticaba requires patience. The trees begin to bear fruit only after ten years or more, and the harvest period is very short, between August and November. Once harvested, it should be used immediately, or it starts to ferment. The pulp can be eaten fresh or used to prepare jams or liqueurs. Espírito Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are the top producers. The city of Sabará, in Minas Gerais, holds an annual festival dedicated to the fruit, with street vendors selling tartes, candies, ice creams and other delicacies made with jabuticaba. At the same time, some local homes engage in a curious business activity: they “rent” the jabuticaba trees in their back yards for those visitors who want to eat their fill.