Acai Berry History

The fruit of the acai palm tree, the acai berry, has a rich and fascinating history. The acai palm grows in the Brazilian rainforest and has been used by the native people of that area for many years. There are thousands of fruits that have been used from the rainforests for medicinal purposes by the tribes of this part of the world. It is the acai berry, however, that has gained the interest of the rest of the world for its remarkable health benefits.

It wasn’t until the 1990’s that the acai berry first made its way to the western countries. And since that time, and more so in recent years, it has risen to the top of the list of healthy foods with a stunning array of benefits. The recent popularity of the fruit has come as more information is released about the antioxidant benefits of the fruit and its nutritional value for a wide variety of ailments and conditions.

The Story Behind Acai Berry

One of the common stories that is told about the acai berry goes back to the history of the Amazon Indian tribes. This fascinating tale tells the story of a time in tribal history when there was a shortage of food. The tribal chief faced the problem of finding ways to feed his people during this time of decreased food supplies.

The tribal chief developed a plan to make the food supplies last longer by killing all newborn babies until the time when there was more food for the tribe. The drastic plan eventually touched his own family when his own daughter, Iaca, gave birth to her own child. To show that there was no favoritism in his plan, Iaca’s child was killed.

While mourning for her child, Iaca heard the sound of a baby crying outside of her hut. Following the cry, she walked into the jungle where she found a tall palm tree that had an abundance of dark purple fruit. Iaca looked up at the tree that had the life saving food that could have prevented the death of her child had it been found sooner. She died leaning against the trunk of the tree.

When the rest of the tribe found her the next morning, the tree with the fruit was discovered as well. The tribe quickly harvested the fruit and used it to sustain them and increase their strength and energy. It was after the death of his own child that the tribal chief rescinded his order and named the fruit Acai for his daughter. When you spell Iaca backwards you get Acai.

Whether or not this tale is true, it is a colorful story to explain the unusual name of the fruit.

Interesting Facts About Acai Berry

There are some interesting facts about Acai Berry that are not commonly known. Here are a few more pieces in the puzzle of the story of acai berry.

• There were a great many tribes in the Amazon in the times before European exploration. Almost all of the Indian tribes were wiped out by the germs that were brought by these explorers, except those that lived on acai berry. These tribes never saw the same kind of illness and death that the other tribes experienced.

• The acai berry began to be noticed for its health benefits, not in the 1990’s when the western world learned about it, but in the 1950’s.

• Acai berry is a common breakfast item for people in Brazil.

• Acai berry is eaten nearly every day by the people in Brazil.