Exotic Camu Camu

Evidence-based health benefits of a superfood.

-  Sripriya Satish

My daughter, while doing her investigatory project in biology, quizzed me. “Mom, can you guess the fruit which tops the list in the Vitamin C content?” I blurted out, “Maybe it is orange or lemon.” She gave me a quick laugh and declared triumphantly that I was wrong. “Mom, the answer is camu camu.” “Camu...what?” Then started my inquisitiveness to know more about this exemplary superfood.

Sadly but surprisingly, though this fruit was cultivated by the people of the Amazon for more than 700 years and was being used by them to treat various diseases, its fame did not spread far and wide due to the fact that the storage and shipping of these wondrous fruits are extremely difficult. Showing a lot of resemblance to a cherry, this South American fruit is dark red or purple in colour with pulpy flesh and a single seed. As you can guess, being fortified with Vitamin C, its taste is very sour. It should be dehydrated and processed into a powder for culinary use.