Скачать с ютуб A taste of Amazon at Brazil s iconic food market в хорошем качестве

A taste of Amazon at Brazil s iconic food market

(14 Oct 2019) Exotic Amazonian fruits, medicinal tonics with natural ingredients from the rainforest that claim to cure it all and freshwater fish served fried with a side of the thick, deep purple açai juice. Bands huddled in a circle that sing, tap on tambourines and bang drums to the rhythm of Samba. And the impromptu dancing fueled by plenty of Brazil's cachaça sugarcane liquor - some on bottles filled with jambú, the Amazonian herb that sparks a tingling, electric shock sensation to the tongue. It's all here, at the noisy, crowded and always colorful Ver-o-Peso riverside market in the Brazilian port city of Belém. Latin America's largest open-air market is the icon of a city that was once known for the rubber trade but that is now best known as the culinary capital of the Amazon. It's also located at the epicenter for the trade of the oily purple berry of the açai palm tree that is a staple of native Amazon cuisine and a global superfood. "Everything about the açai is good. It's the best fruit that we have on this Earth," Walter Pinheiro Ribeiro, who has been selling the fruit for 25 years in the port, said about the fruit that some say is an anti-aging elixir, combats cholesterol and even acts as a natural Viagra. Every morning, port workers carry woven baskets packed with the dark berries on to wooden-hulled river boats. Abroad, açai is best-known in its frozen pulp form for juice and smoothies. But here, at the market, the local way is to eat it like a soup. It is often sprinkled with toasted manioc flour and served alongside fried Amazonian river fish like dourada or the giant piracucu, which can grow as long as 10 feet and weigh more than 400 pounds. The stands at the Ver-O-Peso sell maracas with feathers made by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, ceramics and handcrafts made with coconut shells. Roosters crow, parrots sing and ducks quack non-stop in their cages. Pigeons eat left over seeds, and vultures circle around trying to pick on leftover fish at the docks. Replicas of soccer jerseys from popular European and South American clubs hang from railings along hammocks. Other vendors break the outer shells from Brazil nuts with sharp machetes or offer salted codfish, straw hats and fresh fruits like the bright red pupunha and the delicious cupuaçu that comes from the cacao plant family. Ver-O-Peso (or See the Weight) at the Guajara Bay riverside was originally a tax collection center for goods from the Amazon paid to the Portuguese crown. It was later turned into the market that today includes docks, the acai fair, a meat market and a fish market made from imported iron plates.   "This market is the eight wonder (of the world)," Roberto Da Silva Souza, who has been selling fish at the market for 50 years, said about the building. "If you observe closely, you'll see that this old structure was done with a lot of wisdom and intelligence. Look at these pillars." At his stand, he sold filhote and dourada. He said he often leaves home at around 1am so he can arrive to the dock when the first boats and take a close look at their catch to pick the best-quality fish for his stand. "This job at Ver-O-Peso is a therapy for me. It's an exercise for my mind," he said. "I feel bad. I get sick, when I don't come here. I got used to it. This is my home." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...