The Açai palm takes 10 to 12 years to bear fruit, but once mature, a single palm can produce thousands of fruits in one season. The small berries grow in clusters on hanging branches cascading from the tops of slender palm trees, reaching 25 to 30 meters in height. The fruits contain an earthy, herbal, and nutty flavor often likened to a complex blend of tangy and tart berry nuances with cocoa and hazelnut undertones.Īçai berries are available year-round, with two peak seasons spanning from August to December and January to June.Īçai berries, botanically classified as Euterpe oleracea, are an ancient Amazonian fruit belonging to the Arecaceae family. Once softened, the flesh will develop a creamy, semi-aqueous, and textured consistency. Açai berries must be soaked to soften the flesh before consumption. Inside the flesh, there is also a large, inedible seed, averaging 7 to 10 millimeters in diameter, that comprises approximately 60 to 80 percent of the fruit. Underneath the surface, the flesh is very thin, generally, less than one millimeter in diameter, ranging in color from pale yellow to white with a firm, pulpy, and semi-granular consistency. The fruit’s surface is hard, glossy, and smooth, bearing a green, dark red to purple, almost black hue. Açai berries are small fruits, averaging 1 to 3 centimeters in diameter, and have a round to oblong shape.

Acai dark sheep