coffee beans…
Forget Orange County and picture Orange Country. Bear in mind that 60% of the next glass of orange juice you drink will likely have come from Brazil.
We grow almost twice as many oranges as China, which ranks second among global producers. But the impressive presence of Brazilian oranges on the global market owes to the fact that we export about 98% of the fruit harvested within our borders.
Papayas are probably from southern Mexico, but Brazil went on to become the second-largest producer of the fruit (behind India). They’re a beloved breakfast fruit (and taste even better when topped with granola). Interestingly, unripe papaya preserves are quite popular in the countryside (and with sweet-toothed grandmas).
Granted, unlike some Central American states, Brazil was never a typical “banana republic”. Yet bananas are the second most consumed fruit countrywide and are a major national symbol. Carmen Miranda can vouch!
The fact that the Brazilian version to the novelty song “Yes! We Have No Bananas” is the all-time classic “Yes! We Do Have Bananas” speaks volumes on that as well. And that’s not even the only Brazilian song about the fruit.
Brazil is the sixth-greatest producer of avocados worldwide. But since Mexico’s output is around ten times bigger, this isn’t the main highlight here.
Rather, it’s how we eat it: never in savory dishes. We either blend it into a smoothie or mash it and top it with oat flour. Apparently, that’s how a few Asian nations (e.g. Vietnam and the Philippines) like their avocados too.
While the global mango market is dominated by India, Brazil ranks seventh among its largest producers. More importantly, mangos are Brazil’s top fruit export. The Portuguese introduced them in the country somewhere around the 1500s, so they could just as well feature in the section below.
Brazilian Fruits by Naturalization
It might be clear by now that Brazil is a fantastic environment for growing virtually anything. The following fruits, first brought over in the colonial area, adapted so seamlessly that most Brazilians unfamiliar with Botanics will swear they’re from here.
The Portuguese named coconuts in the 1400s and then imported them from Southeast Asia within the next century. The slender trees have since gained huge swaths of our coast, especially in the warmer Northeast (where coconut milk is typically used in fish-based recipes). Coconut trees are, however, just one in hundreds of palm trees you’ll come upon across Brazil. We even have a whole palm tree forest!
If you visit any of our beaches and don’t sip on some ice-cold Brazilian coconut water, don’t bother bragging about your trip!
25. Custard Apples
Count of Miranda do Corvo, a Portuguese colonial administrator, was responsible for introducing custard apples in the country in 1626. Brazilians were forever thankful: one of the fruit’s popular names in Portuguese is precisely fruta-do-conde (i.e. the “count’s fruit”).
I have to say I’m not a fan of custard apples because they seem to have more seeds than pulp. Yet thanks to their extra sweet taste they hold a special place in many people’s hearts (and stomachs).
Originating in Central Africa, watermelons were first brought to Brazil in the 1650s by enslaved people. We’ve been loving some Brazilian watermelon sugar high ever since. Although China grows more watermelons than the rest of the countries combined (!), we rank fourth among the humble others. They’re one of few fruits we rarely cook desserts with.
Shockingly, coffee farmers once tore down the huge forest underneath the Christ the Redeemer statue to replace it with their crops. The terrible move triggered a water crisis and a citywide temperature rise and prompted Emperor Pedro II to order a massive reforestation effort.
That’s when jackfruit trees saved the day, as initially all other plants had a very hard time blooming. As of now, they remain the most widespread fruit-bearing tree around the streets of Rio.
Jocotes first landed on the Brazilian shores from Central America during the colonial era. Their taste somewhat resembles tha