Jabuticaba: A Unique Tree That Has Fruits On Its Trunk

Its fruits grow straight from the trunk and the branches of the tree, which gives the entire tree a very unique appearance. 

The fruit of Jabuticaba is tiny and round, roughly 3 to 4 cm in diameter, with one to four big seeds, a thick, deep purple-colored skin, and a sweet, white or rosy pink gelatinous flesh. 

Normally the tree flower once or at most twice a year, but when constantly irrigated it flowers again and again, and fresh fruit can be found year-round in tropical areas.

 During Jabuticaba season in Minas Gerais, you can find a lot of street vendors sell fresh Jabuticaba in tiny net bags, and the sidewalks and streets are stained the same deep purple by Jabuticaba skins people threw.

Jabuticaba is mostly eaten fresh, however as the fruit starts to ferment only 3-4 days after harvest, they are commonly used to make jams, tarts, strong wines, and liqueurs.

 Because of its extremely short shelf-life, it's not common to see fresh Jabuticaba fruit in markets outside of areas of cultivation. 

The fruit is also used in medicine. Traditionally, people make a constringent decoction of the sun-dried skins and it has been used as a method to treat hemoptysis, asthma, diarrhea, and gargled for chronic inflammation of the tonsils. 

The fruit also has a couple of powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory anti-cancer compounds. 

Even though the Jabuticaba grows in most parts of Brazil, it's more common in Minas Gerias. Its connection with Minas Gerias is so strong that the Jabuticaba tree can be seen on the coat of arms of the city of Contagem, and another city in Minas Gerias, Sabara hosts a Jabuticaba festival every year.