Cupuaçu, a fruit with a lot to give!

It is all around us, it has been with us since our childhood, it is in our products and on our plates. Eva Dumaine, botanist, tells us about plants in her own words. Our exceptional natural assets.

Its name alone takes you on a journey: “ coupouassou ", “ a joia da fioresta ", the jewel of the Amazonian forest. The first time I was told about it, I thought it was a local dish! But I wasn’t far off as cupuaçu is used in cooking as well as in beauty products! While the first smoothie certainly seduced my taste buds, I really fell in love with it when I put it under the microscope! A fruit so full of goodness that it has its own festival.

It's a real love story between Brazilians and the Cupuaçu. A giant with infinite possibilities, this enormous fruit grows directly on the trunk of trees up to 20 metres high in the heart of the lush Amazon rainforest . The brown pods hide creamy, fragrant flesh that makes delicious juices, sorbets and cakes. The seeds hold a treasure trove of medicinal and cosmetic properties that Brazilians have passed down for generations. Loaded with antioxidants, minerals and essential fatty acids, Cupuaçu can help fight the effects of ageing on the skin and scalp. by fighting the effects of free radicals and preventing water from evaporating.

Cupuaçu is so loved in thearea around Corcovado that every year in April, 300,000 festival-goers come to celebrate it in Presidente Figueiredo, in the heart of the forest. And it's worth the trip, even if you have two left feet like me. , Behind the small size of the super fruit of this dwarf tree lies a real hero with wide shoulders, capable of fighting against the deforestation that threatens the Amazon. By encouraging cultivation of Cupuaçu, Brazilians are maintain the positive cycle that stabilises and regenerates the soil.