Which Amazon Rainforest fruit is the main ingredient of the Brazilian drink açaí?

Açaí palm fruit is the main ingredient of the Brazilian drink and food product called açaí.

The fruit comes from Euterpe oleracea, a palm native to floodplain forests and other wet habitats of the Amazon region. It is small, dark purple, and contains a large seed surrounded by a thin layer of edible pulp. Traditionally, the pulp is softened in water and separated from the seeds.

Açaí has long been an important food in parts of the Amazon, particularly around the lower Amazon and Pará region. It later became popular internationally as a frozen pulp, smoothie ingredient, and dessert topping. Commercial products sometimes contain substantial added sugar, so they are not nutritionally identical to plain fruit pulp.

Açaí berries are not the same as the fruit of the açaí palm’s close relatives. The palm also produces edible hearts of palm, but that product comes from the growing shoot rather than the fruit.