Green Drink Reviews

Acai: The Amazon’s Original Energy Drink

March 1st, 2008

Ahh, a bowl of chilled Acai; that’s what’s becoming a hit on the beaches around the world, from Hawaii to Barcelona. But there was a time when this special treat was available only in Brazil. Now it’s everywhere. In the United States, Acai juice is hitting the big time. But Acai is served much differently in my home country.

This little purple fruit has a thick, pasty consistency, being rich in pectin. It has long been a favorite snack in the Amazon region but quickly spread across Brazil — first in natural health circles, then reaching the beaches as a popular frozen snack, like ice cream or shaved ice. Most recently, it has become popular in health spas and gyms throughout Brazil where it is topped with bananas and granola. Quite often, you can get it with guarana syrup added, for an extra energy kick. Back in the Amazon, the aboriginal people eat Acai with course ground manioc flower, also called tapioca.

Acai (pronounced “ah-sah-ee”) is the fruit of a palm tree that grows in the Amazon region. The fruit itself is small and most often purple (a white variety is less common). Its name derives from an indigenous word that means “fruit that cries.”

The small, fast-growing species of palm that bears the Acai fruit also produces the highest quality “heart of palm.” Its seeds are used in the Amazon region as natural fertilizer and shipped across Brazil for use in arts and crafts. And if you ever visit the Amazon region and see the traditional homes, you’ll see how the palm’s leaves are used: to make thatched roofs. They are also used in the fabrication of cellulose for paper. As you can see, pretty much everything from this little palm tree is put to good use. And the roots are left so the tree may grow again the next season.

This incredible plant has commercial uses in the health food, pharmaceutical, paper, and cosmetics industries. As for the fruit itself, it’s super-rich in energy and has abundant fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, copper, zinc and vitamins B1 and E.

The market for Acai is huge in the Amazon region, because of its singular flavor and excellent nutritional value — not to mention its special gift of high energy. In the city of Belem, in the Eastern Amazon, there are more than 2500 Acai stands that support the consumption of nearly 100,000 liters of the frozen treat per day. Studies show that in Rio de Janeiro, close to 500 tons of Acai are sold each month.

But you can find a bowl of tasty Acai in just about any beach bar or bungalow on the Brazilian coast. And it’s soon to be appearing on beaches all over the world.

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