Euterpe oleracea or Acai (Ah-si-ee) grows throughout South America and primarily in Northern Brazil. It is a staple food to the local populations in Amazonas and Para and in some areas is even more popular than milk. When we are traveling in Brazil, we will often go to the market and purchase a liter of fresh squeezed acai pulp for what is equivalent to a $1.00. The rest of the world has also now become acquainted with this wonderful super food. You can find many different drinks and supplements with just a stroll through your local grocery store. Google the word acai and you will be overwhelmed at all of the information available on this berry and all of the companies selling their acai products. Since this information is so readily available, we have decided to give you some information not normally found.

          The Legend of Acai

The legend states that many years ago in northern Brazil, there was an Indian tribe. The tribe’s chief, Itaki (i-tah-kee) set out to sacrifice all of the children in the tribe due to the fact that there was a scarcity of food. One of the children was his granddaughter and the daughter of Iaca (ya-sah) his daughter.

On the next full moon after the sacrifices had taken place, Iaca woke to the crying of a child. When she peered from her oca (tipi) she was startled to see it was her daughter standing next to a palm tree in the moonlight smiling at her. Iaca ran to her and clutched her in her arms. The next day Iaca’s body was found holding tight to the palm tree and gazing upat the berries with her dark eyes. The chief Itaki demanded that the berries be retrieved and made into a drink that was then named “Acai” after his late daughter Iaca. (Iaca is Acai spelled backwards). There were no more sacrifices made and the tribe survived on this precious fruit.