Jussara fruit

What it is

Jussara, or juçara, is the fruit of Euterpe edulis, a different palm from the Amazonian açaí, Euterpe oleracea. The round fruits hang in bunches. Ripe ones are smooth and dark purple; greenish fruit makes the pulp bitter.

Water is added to separate the pulp from the seeds. How much goes in changes the result: the pulp can be thin, medium or thick.

Where it comes from

Its home is Brazil's Atlantic Forest, from Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul. At Rancho Fundo, a small farm in Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo, young juçara palms grow among cacao, bananas, avocados and pineapples. The fruit feeds forest animals too: toucans and monkeys eat it and help scatter its seeds.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Maquiné, Rio Grande do Sul, tapioca de açaí de juçara mixes the pulp with cassava starch, water and salt. The damp mixture is sifted, pressed into a pancake shape in a hot pan and turned when firm. A filling can go inside.

In Santa Teresa, growers Emerson and Viviane turn juçara into chup-chup, frozen juice sticks. They also blend its pulp with fruits including mango, strawberry and jackfruit.

How it's grown

The palm can reach 20 m (66 ft) tall. Young plants need shade for their first two years, and bananas are a common companion in mixed plantings. Harvesting means getting the bunches down from the crown: at Rancho Fundo, the growers use a ladder and climbing ropes, catching the cut bunches in a net stretched below.

When and where you'll find it

On Alécio de Souza and Inês Maria's farm in Biguaçu, Santa Catarina, harvest usually runs from March through June. They return to pick every 15 days. Ideally, the fruit is pulped the day it is picked, and the bagged pulp goes straight into the freezer.

In Brazil, frozen organic juçara pulp is sold online in 1 kg (2.2 lb) bags, the form for making juices, smoothies and bowls at home.