Brazil is the country in the world with the most fruits(read it from the book “Fruit in Brazil”). The choices are unbelievable,so go ahead and splurge! The place to buy fruits and vegetables is your neighborhood’s street market or “feira”. Feiras happen once a week,always at the same location.You don’t need to get there early though,my mom used to go after 11:00,when prices usually go down and the selection still great! Men and women will shop with large straw bags or little carts.
Brazilian bananas:large or tiny,are sweet and taste fantastic,because they are not harvested green to travel around the world..Brazilians like them fried for dessert or as a garnish for meals. Brazilian oranges:there are many varieties of oranges in Brazil,including “lima”(which are not limes,but a bittersweet orange)and “laranja-lima”,also called “laranja-do-ceu”in Rio Grande Do Sul(heaven’s orange,an apt and well deserved name,considering how sweet and tasty they’re). Tangerines: are very,very sweet,you got to try them! Limes:are called “limao galego” and lemons “limao tahiti”.
Papayas:there are a couple of diferent papayas:a very large one,which is delicious,but not as much as the little ones. These are used in a fabulous Brazilian desert called “creme de papaya”. Pineapples:they are called “abacaxi”,and are white inside and several degrees sweeter than anythuing that out comes from Hawaii(these are not my words but from a hawaian I knew in Rio!).I suspect it’s a diferent variety entirely. Apples:Brazil is one of the largest producers of apples in the world,but I don’t find them particulary interesting,besides a variety called “Fuji”. Avocados:are huge and used for desert and milk drinks called “vitaminas”,and NOT for salads. Mangoes:come in several delicious varieties,from little green ones,known as “carlotinha”,to enormous red ones. Coconuts:are sold green,ready to drink,or grated on the spot.