Ingredient: Acai
Acai is technically a stone fruit, like a cherry or an olive. And in northern Brazil, where people have eaten it for centuries, it’s served as a thick savoury paste alongside fish. The photogenic sweet bowl is a very modern, very Western invention.
The berries grow on tall palms in the Amazon rainforest, and about 90% of each berry is just the stone. That thin layer of pulp is the bit you’re eating. It also ferments within 24 hours of being picked, which is why you’ll never see fresh acai in the UK. Everything you’ll find here comes as frozen pulp sachets or powder, and that’s completely fine.
What makes acai unusual for a fruit is the fat content. It’s rich in oleic acid and omega fatty acids, closer to an avocado than a strawberry in that respect. You also get a good hit of antioxidants (the same anthocyanins found in blueberries and red cabbage), plenty of fibre, and not much sugar.
Go for frozen pulp for bowls. Blend it from frozen with a little liquid and top it with fruit, granola or coconut flakes. The powder is more versatile: stir it into your smoothies, fold it through yoghurt, or mix it into overnight oats.
