| Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity |
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21/01/2010 |
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Fruit and mollusks in the Brazilian Ark
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Brazil’s incredible food heritage is demonstrated in the diversity of products in the Brazilian Ark of Taste. Through the work of the national commission, seven new products have recently joined the Brazilian Ark, bringing the total number of products to 21.
The new products are:
Berbigão (Anomalocardia Braziliana) is a bivalve mollusk belonging to the Veneridae family which is gathered by fishermen using a rake with widely spaced tines so only mollusks of a defined size are selected.
The Cananeia oyster grows among the mangroves of the Cananeia lagoon. It is traditionally gathered and processed by the Quilombola community of Mandira, descendants of African slaves who had escaped or been freed following the abolition of slavery.
Originally a native of the Atlantic forest, the cambuci tree has intensely aromatic fruit used since colonial times to flavor cachaça, but is also important for its nutritional properties and culinary versatility.
Mangaba is the fruit of a wild tree. Its flesh is sweet, white, soft and full-flavored, making it ideal for juice, ice cream and jam. It is picked between November and April, and in some of the states of the Northeast Region it is one of the only sources of income for hundreds of families.
Cagaìta is a native fruit of the Cerrado whose refreshing, slightly acidic flesh make it suitable for processing into juice and ice cream.
The same region, with its hot semi-humid climate, is also home to the pequi tree, which yields yellow-green fruit the size of an orange. Its flesh is very flavorsome and is an ingredient in a range of traditional recipes, while the kernel has a high oil content and is used in the cosmetics industry.
Finally, licuri is a palm growing in the Sertão, Brazil’s semiarid region. The nuts (coconuts) are used to produce a range of food products: toasted licuri, caramelized licuri, granola, cocada, paçoca, cookies, oil, coconut milk and many others.
Full descriptions of the Brazilian Ark of Taste products are available on the website
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