açaí

Oh, açaí.

This is one of the great things about Brazil, at least, speaking as a Gringo. You've heard about French bread when you go to France. You know that you're going to drink vodka in Russia. 

But Brazil, well...most people think about beaches and teeny weeny bikinis - and those are true - and maybe these days they think about the caipirinha (also true, and to be the subject of another post itself). But Brazil's full of things you have never heard of that are insanely good.

Açaí na tigela is one of those things. It's the fruit of the Açaí Palm, pulped and iced, blended with guarana syrup and other fruits (I like it best with banana) and then topped with granola, condensed sweetened milk, and other fruits. Quoth Farva, it's delicious.

Not only is it delicious, but it's incredibly energizing. Between the caffeine and sugar in the guarana syrup and the natural energy from Açaí it's like eating a bowl of sweet healthy sorbet and getting the benefit of a cup of joe. Good stuff. Only downside is that it makes your teeth look like, well, the stuff inside the bowl.

You've been hearing a lot about Açaí in the States lately. It's packed into all sorts of food products and juices as the magic anti-oxidant, at the low low cost of $5 for 6 oz of juice. You can get it cheaper. If you live in a big city, find the Brazilian neighborhood (there's always one!) and buy yourself the good stuff for $1 a pound frozen. But you'll still need guarana syrup to make the dish the right way...