The mystery behind Brazil's "super berry"

If you have been to Brazil, you have likely seen people walking around, eating a dark purple thick "drink" with spoons out of cups.  Or maybe you have tried it yourself. Whatever the case, acai has become very famous in the past few years.

The acai berry is an inch-long reddish, purple fruit, which grows on the acai palm tree, native to Central and South America. 

When you buy it as a drink, it generally comes frozen in packets and is then mixed with sugar and/or other fruit, before handed over to you.

While it has been touted for having better antioxidant properties than any other fruit and for possibly aiding in such things as weight loss, studies are ongoing, so the jury is still out.  One thing is certain, it is one of the few things for which I get hunger pains when back in the States.  I absolutely love it.