Where did the acai hype start? What are the ways in which people eat Acai around the world? And what potential benefits to our health can be found in Acai?

Acai – from breakfasts to desserts, and from savoury to sweet – this little purple berry has truly packed a punch in a huge variety of forms. It started off as a staple food in the Amazon. It quickly grew into a hyped-up “superfood” world-wide. And I now see this fruit sold in both the tiniest towns of south America, and in the hippest hipster bars in Europe.

I am just back from my New Years Break in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While I was there, I found that nearly every second shop around was selling Acai fruit in one form or another. Shops were painted in various shades of purple, with accompanying purple bags, napkins and cutlery to match their purple foods. And even on the beach, vendors trend the burning sand, selling frozen Acai from a cool box slung over their shoulders!

I got the opportunity to delve into some of the history of this growing Acai trend in Rio through talking to Edite and Martinelli, the grandmother and uncle of a Rio friend. Edite had grown up eating the berry as an accompaniment to savoury meals. She had seen the berry take over Rio by storm in a whole new form – the nearly sickly sweet Acai bowls!

Didititian’s Foodie Travel Diary – Acai

Acai – from breakfasts to desserts, and from savoury to sweet – this little purple berry has truly packed a punch in a huge variety of forms.

So lets delve right in. What is Acai?

Acai is a stone fruit grown on the acai palm tree. However it is so small that its more often referred to as a berry than a stone fruit. You can find acai palm trees are originally in the swamp or floodplains of Brazil, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname. Acai fruits are a deep dark purple in colour, and have a large seed in its centre. They grow in bunches of up to 500 to 900. And they can usually be harvested twice a year! It is said that Brazil produces around 85% of the world’s Acai.

What does Acai taste like?

The taste of Acai pulp can be described as relatively sour. Not sure this description makes sense, but it tastes about as dark as it looks. Perhaps somewhat like a mix of blackberries and chocolate.

What are the ways in which Acai is eaten?

My friend’s grandmother Edite grew up in the North of Brazil. She discussed that in her town, Acai was usually eaten as a sour-sweet sauce to accompany a savoury meal. While the fruit can be consumed on its own, it was usually turned into a sauce. She described how the stones of the fruit would be removed by mashing up the berries by hand and then squeezing out the stones into a separate basin. The pulp of the fruit was then mixed with a small amount of sugar and served alongside a meal of fish and vegetables.

However, by the 1990’s, word got out about potential health benefits of the Acai fruit. Not long after, the gym-heads and surfers of Rio took the Acai berry to a new level. Acai pulp was mixed with guarana syrup (a high-caffeine syrup made from guarana seeds, which are also found in the Amazon). This then turned Acai into an energising snack for those into health and fitness.

In Rio, this Acai/guarana mix is now sold mainly as a frozen ice-cream style blend. I saw it served with a whole host of toppings ranging from fruits and yogurts, to chocolate sauces and crumbly peanut butter sweets. Sales have sky-rocketed and continue to grow according to Martinelli. He says that Rio is by far the biggest consumer of Acai, but that very few people in Rio eat the fruit as the traditional plainer accompaniment to fish. And indeed while I was there, I witnessed how all generations, from the very young, to the older (including Edite!) seem to indulge on Acai on at least a weekly basis!

Can I find Acai outside of Brazil?

Unfortunately for those of us not living in Brazil, Acai is highly perishable. And so it is relatively difficult to transport from the Amazon without significant processing. It is most commonly available here in frozen or powdered form. However, frozen Acai bowls are available in more and more shops here in Ireland. Of course they are already a huge success across the states. I found it relatively difficult to find frozen Acai pulp in Dublin, but some health-food shops do sell freeze dried Acai powder. This can be mixed with more-readily available frozen fruit such as blueberries, raspberries and bananas to make an Acai bowl of your own.

What are the potential health benefits of Acai?

By the mid 1990’s, health claims for Acai’s potential benefits was sky-rocketing. It is being marketed as an anti-ageing elixir to resolving impotence. Acai has been sold to resolve almost any ailment under the sun! So much so that several lawsuits have been filed against companies selling Acai with unlawful claims such as preventing cancer and promoting weight loss.

Saying that any one food type (of food supplement) can cure or prevent disease is usually an immediate warning sign that a food is being promoted as a fad. When it comes to weight loss claims, there is very little evidence to show any substantial benefit of adding Acai fruit into your diet. Any research so far that claims to show weight loss through the use of Acai supplements is of poor quality. There is also no research available to support the idea that specifically adding Acai to your diet will reduce the risk of any cancer.

However, as with many types of fruits and berries, Acai is indeed full of health promoting vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenol, anthocyanins and fibre! Including plenty of fruits and vegetables, with as wide a variety as possible, is indeed linked to a reduction in your risk of developing cancer, heart disease and stroke. And hence, Acai may play a useful role in enhancing variety and encouraging more regular consumption of fruits.

Acai can be high in sugar

One little remark however about the Acai bowls that I found being sold in Rio. Be aware that many of the ice-cream style Acai bowls are laden with sugar. And then you top them with even creamier and more sugary toppings! While they may have a base of fruit, I would consider these types of bowls more a dessert. And so while they are fine to enjoy as part of a healthy diet, I would recommend to eat them as an occasional treat rather than a healthy snack or breakfast option!

Id love to hear about the favourite foods that you discovered while you were travelling! Share your stories in the comment section below!

I have several useful videos if you are planning your own foodie travels. For useful tips to stay healthy during long train/boat/plane trips, check out this article HERE. For my top ways to use the summer to your advantage when working on building healthy habits check out my recent article HERE. I have also shared some great holiday health hacks HERE to us prolong that holiday health buzz.

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