Cagaita

What it is

Cagaita is Eugenia dysenterica, a tree in the myrtle family. The fruit measures about 3 cm (1¼ in) across. A thin skin, green to yellow, surrounds cream-coloured flesh and a few white seeds. The pulp is soft, acidic and so juicy that juice makes up about 90 percent of the fruit.

Where it comes from

Cagaita comes from the Cerrado, the savanna region of central Brazil. It grows mainly in Goiás, Tocantins, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Minas Gerais.

In Chapada Gaúcha, in northern Minas Gerais, Cerrado vegetation meets the Caatinga. Families in the Coopsertão cooperative gather native fruits from their own yards and from native vegetation, turning them into foods for their households and for sale.

How it's eaten where it grows

In the Cerrado, geleia de cagaita starts with green fruit, its seeds removed. The fruit cooks with sugar until it reaches jelly consistency; its own juice supplies the liquid.

For cagaita sorbet, Rita Medeiros, author of Gastronomia do Cerrado, blends the pulp with sugar and water, then freezes and beats the mixture again and again. Cagaita also goes into juices, sauces, sweets, ice cream and mousses.

How it's grown

The tree reaches up to 10 m (33 ft) tall, and its flowers feed bees. During the dry season, old leaves fall and reddish new leaves appear alongside abundant, fragrant white flowers. Flowers can set fruit with pollen from the same plant or with pollen from another tree. The usual fruiting season follows from September to November.

When and where you'll find it

Cagaita usually fruits from September to November. It's eaten mostly in its home region, fresh or made into ice cream, liqueurs, juices and sweets.

In Chapada Gaúcha, Coopsertão makes cagaita sweets and jellies among its Cerrado fruit products, and they're sold through Central do Cerrado's online shop.