Family: Fruit, Fruit, Fruit in Brazil
There aren't many things I love more than fruit. Going strawberry picking, biting into a juicy peach, hugging up and sharing a delicious watermelon, yeah, that’s heaven for me.
I grew up eating a lot of fruit. This probably has to do with the fact that my family is from Brazil and the abundance of fruits and veggies is not something you can skip an eye at.
My trip plan finally took me to São Paulo for some much-needed family time. I haven’t been to Brazil since 2017. That is a big gap for me, given that we used to go every year when we lived in Chile.
When we travel to Brazil we get excited about 2 things, our family first and foremost and food. Brazilians don’t shy away from a great meal, doesn’t matter where you are, the bakery on the corner or the fanciest restaurant in Rio de Janeiro. You will always leave with a full tummy and a huge smile. I truly believe this stems away from their fantastic produce.
During this trip, apart from eating fruits and veggies, I got to experience two produce-related adventures. First, we spent Easter at my aunt and uncle’s vacation home in Itú, a few hours away from São Paulo. They had an abundance of fruit trees and I got to try a few new ones. And on my second to last day, we went to a place I daydream about often, a ‘Feira’. Let’s dig deeper.
‘Frutas em Itu’
Mango, jabuticaba, and avocado were just 3 of the many fruits they had growing at my aunt and uncle’s property. On the first day, I got a full tour from the person that loves a garden the most, my grandma. Often she would disappear and we would find her digging around in the new herb garden.
The tour starts with us finding a huge avocado tree. HUGE! We collected 2-3 buckets of avocado throughout the days there. You would cut them open and they smelled fantastic, they are bright green and smooth as they can be. In Brazil, avocados are eaten as a dessert or during breakfast. You add sugar and a little lemon for a delicious snack. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I grew up not knowing you could put salt on it! Try it and let me know.
After our adventures with the avocado tree, we moved into some new fruits for me. Jabuticaba, a grape-like fruit with a harder skin. When you bite them it squishes the juice and flesh inside and it tastes like a sweeter chewier grape. It’s refreshing and delicious.
Next up we had Mixirica, which is really just a mandarin orange but GIANT to fit the luscious scenery. It was still green to try, unfortunately.
Limão Cravo, was new find for me. With an orange-like flesh and a tangy taste, it was the perfect mix of orange/lime/lemon. It was definitely too sour for me.
Acerola was a fruit my Mom has been talking about for years but I had never seen it. So for years, just like Santa, I thought it wasn’t real. Now I got the chance to pick one from a tree and try it. It definitely was like nothing I had ever tasted before. It's tangy, it reminds me of a berry but the texture is more like a pear, soft but still in place. I would tell you to try it but took me 25 years to even find it.
To finalize our Itu experience, we have Mamão. The breakfast fruit in Brazil, at least in my family. We eat this every morning with breakfast and it's probably the one I miss the most, with a good watermelon of course. The texture is like melon and mango combined and the only way I can explain the taste is that it’s soft and sweet.
After the peaceful countryside stop, we head back to the city for some more produce fun-time.
'Dia de Feira'
Part of the Sao Paulo spirit and tradition is going to your local ‘Feira’ for fruits and veggies every week. An open-air grocery store filled with stories, interesting personalities and delicious produce.
In some countries there is some reluctance about getting food from the street but during this trip, I learned that there are regulations, all vendors are licensed and each stall is predetermined so you have some variety.
My grandma and Jô have been going to this market near my grandma’s house every Wednesday for decades. They glide throughout with such ease. Never startled or surprised by the noises and people. They know what to get, whom to get it from and how to choose the perfect one. If a guy is selling mangos $2 reais more expensive than the stall on the other side, she will let him know and ask him to match it. Pre-pandemic they would give you samples and you could try the freshest fruit you could get in the city. This is tradition. This is culture. This is community.
Walking alongside the experts I was the complete oddball. Taking photos and videos, getting starstruck by how beautiful that watermelon was while my grandma yelled from the other side asking what I wanted to eat. I, of course, said everything but my go-to were: Maracuja (passion fruit), mango and pastel, which I will explain in a second. I had already had my other favourites on this trip, Mamão and watermelon so I could skip them for now. It’s easy to be the weirdo when you are walking behind sheer confidence. Up for no-nonsense or scams. The dynamics were fantastic and what kept the spirit of the city alive.
This experience was exactly what I wanted and needed. I remember going there as a child and being so overwhelmed by my surrounding but now as the weirdo adult, I embrace it and wish I could go every weekend.
As part of this weekly adventure comes the main attraction. After your list has been completed, it's time for pastel. The main or only meal stand in the ‘Feira’ sells this very thin fried dough filled with an abundance of options. My favourites are Pizza (tomato, cheese and oregano) and Palmito (heart of palm and cheese). You also have, sausage, jerky, just cheese and more. This is a fried delicious snack or meal, depending on your stomach. Pair with fresh coconut water or sugar cane juice, you can say this was a successful trip to the “Feira”.
I can only assume that managing a fruit stand can’t be easy. I will forever be grateful that this tradition exists and it has survived. The food is fantastic and the energy is unmatchable. Who wouldn’t want that while getting the best things on earth, produce?
My time in Brazil was definitely special. This was my first time going there as an adult without my parents. Brazil is a misunderstood country, filled with hardship and difficulties. But through all my travels, Brazilians are the ones that know how to live and enjoy life the most. They know how to cherish family and the joys of life like no others. This is the citizenship I hold the closest to my heart because there is so much good in it. I’m lucky enough to be able to just take from the good side and have an incredible family willing to welcome me in at any time.
Soon I will share the meals we were able to enjoy together.
I am happy you enjoy being in Brasil by yourself! 🌷❤️🥰
Luli, thanks for brining us back to Brazil for a few moments. Great report!