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Right then, after me, “ass-eye-eee”. And again, “ass-eye-eee”. That’s how you pronounce ‘acai’, the Brazilian palm tree super berry that has been rocking our world for some time now. Not only is it thought to be the world’s richest natural source, pound for pound, of antioxidants, but it also tastes gorgeous and is a lovely shade of purple.

The good bit of the acai berry is the dark purple skin – it’s the bit that contains the anthocyanins (the clever antioxidants that can help you stay very healthy). The rest of it (about 90%) is a small, hard stone that it’s inadvisable to consume. But there are uses for this stone. Indeed in Brazil you might find people making necklaces out of them. Palm tree bling. You heard it here first.

The story of acai has its roots in a legend, which goes something like this…

Once upon a time, there was an Amazon Indian tribal chief, who had a daughter called Iaca. The chief’s tribe had grown large and people were starting to go hungry. So the chief decreed that all newborn babies must be killed. When Iaca, bore a child, the chief still had his decree carried out.

Iaca mourned her baby’s death for days, until she thought she heard a baby crying. When she went outside, she saw a palm tree shooting up from the earth, covered in fruit. Overcome with grief, she lay down under the tree and died.

After a while, the tribe started to eat the fruit and found that it sated their hunger and renewed their energy. The chief lifted his decree, and named the fruit after his daughter (açaí is Iaca spelled backwards). And the tribe became strong again.

So now you know.