Tropical fruits are the hardest to find in grocery stores, and even bigger supermarkets hardly ever carry them, or if they do, the selection is usually limited.
Arazá is one of the rarest tropical fruits and is a fruit native to the Amazon and found in countries like Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia. It is known under various names including the Amazonian pear – a common English name, arazza in Colombia and araça-boi in Brazil, and Portugal.
Also grown in the United States, specifically in California, the fruit is very little exploited for commercial purposes due to being extremely fragile when fully ripened, and thus difficult to ship.
Description and general information
Lesser known even in the country of origin, which is Brazil, arazá fruits grow on a small tree but in large numbers and in a relatively short amount of time from when the tree is planted. It only takes about two to three years for arazá trees to bear fruits. These are distinctive and contain a high level of acidity, averaging a pH of 2.4, which is similar to lemons.
Because it is very acidic, the fruit is suitable for processing into juices, pastes, and preserves.
Shaped like a tennis ball, arazá can be as large as 2 to 5 inches and turns bright yellow when ripe. The flesh is soft to very soft, quite sour but pleasantly flavored, reminiscent of a passion fruit with a hint of stone fruit.
The aroma is strong and fruity, thus the fruit can be used to flavor desserts, and is, in fact, very often used to flavor ice creams and beverages.
Nutritional value and health benefits
If in regards to the level of pH arazá is similar to lemons, in what concerns its nutritional value, the fruit is very much alike oranges, except it provides double the amount of vitamin C.
Arazá contains 7.6 mg vitamin C, 19.8 mg vitamin B, 7.7 mg vitamin A and also boosts good amounts of zinc and calcium. It contains fiber, 39 percent of total dietary fibers and provides 11.9 percent of the daily recommended protein intake. It is a great source of potassium too.
Having twice as much vitamin C compared to oranges, arazá is a great fruit to consume for boosting the immune system. Consuming the fruit is especially recommended when infection occurs in the body, arazá being able to protect against viruses and diseases that can occur when a virus enters the body.
Other health benefits of the arazá fruit include:
- Good blood pressure
- Protecting against cancer
- Warding off colds
- Preventing strokes
- Regulating cholesterol
- Promoting good vision
- Aiding with digestive issues
- Detoxifying the body
- Preventing constipation
- Helping with weight loss
How best to consume the fruit
Although of a delightful flavor and with a peach-like texture of the flesh, arazá is less commonly consumed fresh and more commonly used to make drinks and desserts that include cocktails, ice creams, popsicles, smoothies, marmalades, and nectars.