Kupuasu

Name at least one product on the entire planet Earth that boasts that it caused a scandal at the interstate level. Agree, this is quite difficult. Meanwhile, there is one such - the fruit of the kupuasu tree, which is considered the most expensive fruit in Latin America.

And this interesting story began in the distant Brazilian jungle, in which, as you know, many wild monkeys are found. It was there that a plant appeared quite rare even for those places, the fruits of which were eaten by the natives with great pleasure. This continued until the local delicatessen fruit miraculously found itself in the hands of the enterprising Japanese. Appreciating not only the excellent taste of kupuasu, but also the commercial potential of this fruit, they immediately patented the name of the fruit, thereby terribly offending the feelings of Brazilians. The latter immediately demanded the return of the national treasure to the country. That's the story.

In order to understand what is the stumbling block of the representatives of the two powers, you need to imagine a coconut, which is stretched out like a melon, with a strong smell of citrus fruits. This wonder of nature grows in a small evergreen tree with huge, interestingly, leaves. News year after year, the plant from the roots to the top of the crown is covered with large flowers, appearing in abundance directly on the branches and trunk.

Beautiful buds are replaced by the very same fruits of kupuasu, which reach a length of 25 centimeters with a thickness of 15 centimeters. Inside these fruits is a crisp white soft flesh that has a sour-sweet taste. In addition, there are numerous seeds located in five nests inside.

It is noteworthy that only those fruits of kupuasu that independently fell to the ground from a tree are suitable for food. Fruits torn directly from the branch never mature completely, and therefore do not have the wonderful aroma and taste due to which this tropical resident became so famous.

In the local market, kupuasu is the most expensive fruit, which is not surprising. The fact is that in order to obtain a harvest of aromatic fruits, compliance with the mass of conditions is required. First of all, the plant does not like the direct sun, under the influence of which the leaves, receiving burns, dry at the edges, after which they fall. That is why on plantations, kupuasu is covered with a special net or planted in the shadow of taller plants.

By the way, all the efforts of planters pay off with interest, since kupuasu is almost waste-free production. The delicate flesh of fruits is eaten both fresh and processed - it is often used to make ice cream, juices and liqueurs. And the seeds occupying a fifth of the fruit's volume consist half of white oil, which is close in properties to cocoa oil. Due to the fact that it has a higher melting point, chocolate (cupulate) is often made from it, which does not melt in the hands.