Tropical Fruits & Natural Juices

Dicas Guia Mais

Today's post is dedicated to one of the best things you will find in a tropical country; the fruits and of course the delicious natural juices and smoothies that can be made using them. In Brazil, in addition to those tasty, delicious fruits you will also find others that you never saw before. Right now I give my first tip: when in Brazil, go natural!
I'm dedicating a post to fruits and juices because it is very common to find tents where are specialized in natural juices, and they very present in our daily routine.

"I like going to Ipanema or Barra da Tijuca to have a natural juice at Bibi Sucos or Polis Sucos, my favorites are cupuaçu, graviola, acerola with orange or orange with carrots." Fabio Vicente from Rio de Janeiro

Cupuaçu and Graviola are fruits that you will find only in South America and are quite unknown outside of Brazil. The benefits are many, I will list a few: reduce mucus, combat cancer, bacteria, they are rich in fibers, vitamins, iron and much more.

At a restaurant my option #1 is usually a mix of pineapple juice with mint, it helps with the digestion, and is very refreshing. In Portuguese, abacaxi com hortelã.
I also love acerola juice, it has a very unique flavor, it's a citric fruit, very rich in vitamin C. You may need to add some sugar to it.

One of the Brazilians favorite fruits is passion fruit, here we call it maracujá, an oxidant, rich in vitamins, and is a source of fibers and minerals. It is used to make juices, tarts, mousses, whatever your imagination creates.

meioambiente.culturamix.com/blog

Well, since I am the one writing this blog, I'm allowed to suggest my favorite fruit! Guava, in Portuguese goiaba, which is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, lot of vitamin C. Goiaba also combats infections, hemorrhage, fortifies the bones and even increases physical resistance. In Brazil goiaba is used to make many kinds of desserts, pastries, and juices. I also suggest you to try goiabada, a creamy or thick mass eaten usually with white cheese, what we call Romeo and Juliet.

Watermelon here is very sweet as well! Great for juices, and perfect to eat by itself on a hot day. In Portuguese we say melancia, it keeps you hydrated.
Caldo de cana or garapa, molasses, is the juice extracted from the sugar cane. Very sweet, and delicious. Just a little detail, because of the amount of natural sugar, it makes you very sleepy.

Açai, this exotic fruit from Amazon and Pará is now very well-known in the whole planet. In Brazil we consume it with banana, granola and honey in a bowl. Açai reduces stress and fatigue, gives you energy and it is a powerful antioxidant.

Mixes are very common, as Fabio said above, you can order two fruits or more, add water or milk, and make a smoothie. Orange with carrot is common, specially if you need to work on your tanning! But pay attention if they are adding real fruit or frozen pulp.

Now, don't leave the country without experiencing something similar to what you see on the next picture... having green coconut water, or água de coco, by the beach! Do it, and send me the picture so we can encourage everyone to do the same when visiting Brazil. Coconut water is extremely healthy, it helps to eliminate toxins helping you to have a beautiful skin. Alright, did you write it down? Good!

Paulo Teófilo / Ag. News

Hey, how about you? have you been to Brazil before? Do you have any favorite juice or a nice place to share here? Please feel free to do so!