Cambuí
Myrciaria tenella · Myrtaceae family
A Brazilian myrtle fruit explored as juice, jam and a fermented beverage.
Find it near DetroitGet to know it
Cambuí is a small, glossy Brazilian berry with sweet-tart pulp and a slight drying feel on the tongue. The red form called Cambuí Vermelho Açu brings that flavor to fresh handfuls, juice and ice cream. Its tree opens scented white flowers that draw bees.
What it is
This cambuí is Myrciaria tenella, a member of the myrtle family. Its round berries measure 0.6–0.8 cm (about ¼–⅓ in) across, with one to three seeds inside. Ripe berries can be glossy red or dark purple. Cambuí Vermelho Açu has bright red fruit and sweet flesh with a tart edge.
Where it comes from
Cambuí grows from northern to southern Brazil and into Argentina. In Brazil, it occurs in the highlands of Minas Gerais, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. In Sergipe, people gather the fruit from native trees and sell it fresh in regional markets. Farther inland, the small farmers of Serra dos Paus Doias in Pernambuco make it into a drink.
How it's eaten where it grows
In Serra dos Paus Doias, in the town of Exu in Pernambuco, a liqueur-style cambuí drink combines cooked fruit syrup, sugar and aged cachaça. Around the Araripe in Pernambuco and the Cariri in Ceará, local families like the fruit fresh and also make it into liqueurs, jams and sweets.
How it's grown
Cambuí Vermelho Açu grows slowly and stays below 4 m (about 13 ft), with small, narrow, glossy leaves and white flowers. Because it stays small and fruits young, it works as a garden shrub, a small hedge, a potted tree or even bonsai. It grows in full sun and takes almost any soil except waterlogged ground, and it often starts fruiting less than six months after planting.
When and where you'll find it
In Brazil’s Pampa region, in the far south, cambuí fruit usually matures in April and May. In the northeast, fresh cambuí reaches regional markets in Sergipe and the fairs of Araripe in Pernambuco and Cariri in Ceará. There it is a gathered local fruit; liqueurs, jams and sweets are other forms made in the Araripe and Cariri communities.
Sources · 6
- Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, Boletim 109 (2015)infoteca.cnptia.embrapa.br
- Embrapa Semiárido, Comunicado Técnico 156 (2013)infoteca.cnptia.embrapa.br
- Embrapa, Bioma Pampa fruit and seed calendarwebambiente.cnptia.embrapa.br
- Revista Agro@mbiente On-line (2012)alice.cnptia.embrapa.br
- Slow Food Brasil, Ark of Tasteslowfoodbrasil.org.br
- Viveiro Ciprest, Gustavo Giaconciprest.blogspot.com
Get it near Detroit
What it tastes like
Cambuí Vermelho Açu, a named red cambuí, is sweet with a tart edge.
Detroit, Michigan
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Cook it
Sources
Sources
Cambuí · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026