Sucos (juices)

28 Oct 2009
Sucos, or juices, play a big role in main stream Brasilian culture. There are many juice bars all over the place, and in most lanchonetes--which are something like delis or cheap cafés that offer some dishes but lots of on-the-go or fast food--they have a variety of juices to offer.

But also in the home. Many brazilian homes' most common beverage is juice.
Sometimes it is fresh from the fruit,
like this tamarind juice:

At my house my family makes sucos de genipapo/jenipapo (Genipap), abacaxí (pineapple) and sometimes with a little bit of mint, acerola.

[fresh jenipapo juice]

[suco de acerola from the fruit]

[suco de acerola from the pre-made juice packages]
But many other juices made in my house are from packages with frozen fruit pulp. And see the difference between the two acerola juices.

Clockwise from the top left is pulp from graviola (soursop, guanabana, guyabano), mangaba (Hancornia speciosa), manga (mango), and cacau.

This is graviola pulp about to be prepared, my mae puts water and sugar in it, but I have recently asked her to not put sugar in mine. :) This is acai juice from the pulp. One of my favorites!

I know that a lot of other families in the program are also into juice--especially one of the moms in the program. She is passionate about making juices and is known for them. Here at my friend's house when I went over for lunch, her mae had made an apple, pinapple, ginger, and some other stuff. It was really good.
Then the one that my mae makes with pinapple and a few minced leaves of mint I will replicate in the U.S. when the pinapples come in season. I also really like this other summer juice that my other friends' mae makes, with watermelon, mint and ginger. !!!mmmm..!