From excellent football skills to the Rio de Janeiro carnival, Brazil, is at the heart of South America and , is known for a lot of things worldwide. Brazil also has a unique climate which allows for a vast array of fruits, vegetables and nuts to be cultivated and prosper to great effect. It is therefore not a massive surprise that after China and India, Brazil is the third largest fruit exporter in the world. Its main importers are the Arabic countries of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

Europe also exports substantial quantities of Brazilian fruit. The fruit grown in Brazil ranges from relatively common varieties, such as apples, to more exotic types like the acai berry . The tree that the acai berry grows on thrives on the banks of the Amazon River, which is why it thrives in Brazil. This plentiful and nutritious fruit has been a staple of the Amazonian diet for centuries, and it is only now that the rest of the world is waking up to its potential2. . 

Acai (pronounced ass-eye-ee) is a nutritious purple berry said to taste like a combination of chocolate and berries. It is now found in a multitude of products from juices and smoothies, to cosmetic products. These berries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins which may help to fight against the effects of free radicals which is thought to cause damage to cells1.

Another delicious fruit that is grown in Brazil is the delicious mango. It is oval-shaped, and has a super-sweet taste. You’ll know it is a mango if you see yellow flesh, and a yellow-green skin. Like the acai berry, the nutritional content of mangoes is high: it can provide a substantial proportion of your recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C, A and E as well as fibre and iron3.

1 Cancer.About.com (2009). Antioxidants and Cancer. http://cancer.about.com/od/alternativetreatments/a/antioxidants.htm

2 Astrology Zine (2009). Acai Berries for Cardio Health and Anti-Aging. http://www.astrologyzine.com/acai-berries.shtml

3 I Love India (). Benefits of Mangoes. http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-mango-1428.html