Rufão

What it is

Rufão here is Tontelea micrantha, also called bacupari. Its pear-shaped fruit measures 3.5–8.5 cm (1.4–3.3 in) long. The yellowish, wrinkled skin forms a thick shell, 4–6 mm (about ¼ in) deep. The edible reward lies around the seeds: translucent, jelly-like pulp with a mild sweetness. Even in a big fruit, that pulp is only about 20–30% of it.

The pulp clings tightly to the seeds, making it difficult to separate. Rufão is also a name for Peritassa campestris, a different species; the fruit described here is Tontelea micrantha.

Where it comes from

This is a fruit of Brazil’s Cerrado, its savanna and scrubland. It grows in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás and Mato Grosso, among other Brazilian states, and reaches Paraguay. Wild fruit is gathered for local eating.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Brazil, the pulp is eaten fresh or turned into juice and jelly.

In February and March 2017, a rufão plant belonging to Vina, a company in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, bore plenty of fruit. Biologist Sabrina Soares, who looks after the company’s preservation area, shared it with colleagues and called the flavour incomparable, typical of Cerrado fruits.

How it's grown

The plant stays low in open country but can become a small tree up to 3 m (10 ft) tall in denser woodland. A thick root stores water underground. New plants grow from freshly cleaned seeds, which take 60–150 days to sprout. The seedlings develop slowly above ground while putting growth into their roots.

When and where you'll find it

In São Paulo’s Cerrado, edible fruit usually appears from December to February. Rufão is gathered from wild plants and eaten locally, fresh or as juice and jelly.