GLOSSARY

• Açaí - Rich in nutrients, açaí fruit is found on millions of palm trees spread all through the Amazon basin. At first sight, one might think it has been made out of fine Italian grapes. But it is thicker, darker and more viscous. It is called Amazon wine by some and the forest’s milk by others. Made out of small black coconuts, açaí is a traditional and very important component of the basic Amazonian diet. It is consumed as juice and energy food.
  
• Aracu / Piaba - (Leporinus Spix) Fresh water fish.
  
• Bacuraus - Birds of the family Caprimulgidae.
  
• Banzeiro - Strong wind which gets even stronger at a mouth of the Negro river bay.
  
• Caldeirada - A thick soup or stew made of clams, fish, and vegetables with potatoes, onions and other ingredients and seasoning.
  
• Cupuaçú - A highly perfumed pulp surrounding the seeds of Cupuaçu (a plant of the Cacao tree family), which is much appreciated in the Amazon region for making sweetened juice, ice cream and charlotte desserts. The seed can be made into a number of chocolate-like products.
  
• Goiaba-Araça - Brazilian guava.
  
• Graviola - It is a small, upright evergreen tree, 5-6 m high, with large, glossy, dark green leaves. It produces large, heart-shaped edible fruit that is yellow-green in color, and has white flesh inside. The fruit pulp is excellent for making drinks and sherbet and, though slightly sour-acid, can be eaten out of hand.
  
• Guaribas – Howling monkeys.
  
• Ibama – Brazilian Institute of the Environment of the Natural resources You renewed.
  
• Igapó - Periodically inundated parts of riverside woodland (flooded forest).
  
• Igarapé - Narrow riverbank between two islands or between an island and the mainland.
  
• Jambo - (Rose apple) Tropical trees belonging to the genus Sygyum of the Myrtle family having showy greenish white flowers and the fruit is nearly round, oval, or pear-shaped and its flesh is yellowish and sweet, resembling the scent of a rose in flavor.
  
• Matrinchã - (Brycon Cephalus) Fish found in The Amazon and rivers, which form the Pantanal Basin. It feeds on small fruit and small fish.
  
• Pacu - (Piaractus Mesopotamicus) Fish nicknamed the “water pig” because of its varied diet consisting of small fish, crustaceans, leaves and fruit.
  
• Paraná – Arm of a large river separated by an island from the main land.
  
• Pedral – A place in the river where many stones impede navigation.
  
• Piranha – (Serrasalmus spp) Thanks to the movies, piranhas have a fearsome reputation in the popular psyche. But of the some 20 species of the fish in the Amazon, most are vegetarian, which explains why piranhas are able to co-exist with other fish species. If all piranhas were as predatory as the most carnivorous piranha species – the red-bellied piranha – there would be scarcely any fish left in the Amazon. This is because the red-bellied piranha’s razor sharp teeth can shred flesh from a bone in a matter of seconds.
  
• Pirão - A mush or meal of manioc flour boiled in water.
  
• Pirarara – (Phractocephalus hemiliopterus) Commonly known as redtail catfish; its coloration (a blending of yellow, brown and deep red) is responsible for its local name, Peixe- Arara, or macaw fish; typically found in the vicinity of underwater branches and rocks.
  
• Pirarucu – (Arapaima Gigas) At eight feet long and weighing as much as two men, the air breathing pirarucu is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish. When they are born, pirarucus have gills, but they quickly atrophy. Instead, as the pirarucu matures, it breathes through a lung-like organ similar to lungs of non-fish vertebrates. An adult pirarucu will breathe once every 10 to 15 minutes. If necessary, however, they can stay underwater for twice that time. Its large toothed tongue, when combined with its teeth, functions as an extra, lethal set of jaws.
  
• Pupunha - Palm tree largely found in the Amazon region. Before being eaten, its fruit is boiled in water and salt. Its fiber-like pulp is yellowish and has a very pleasant taste.
  
• Seringal – Rubber tree area.
  
• Tambaqui – (Colossoma Macropomum) An Amazon native, this fish displays a greenish color on its back and black coloration on its underside. During the rainy season, it can be found in flooded wooded areas, feeding on fruit, flowers and leaves. During the dry season, they prefer the rivers. Size: up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in length and weighing up to 30 kg (66lb).
  
• Taperabá - Taberabá or Cajá is one of the most popular fruit in the North and Northeast of Brazil. The fruit itself is rarely eaten direct, as the pulp is thin and usually quite sour, however it makes a superb sweetened juice and ice cream.
  
• Tapioca - A preparation of cassava root starch used as food, in bread or as a thickening agent in liquid foods, notably puddings, but also soups and juicy pies.
  
• Tucumã - A heavily spined palm which grows to about 15 m of height. Its fruit are oily and a kind of wine is produced with it.
  
• Tucunaré – (Cichla spp) Within the family of the prized Peacock Bass, as it is commonly known, there are at least 8 types distinguished by their color pattern, the size and the number of stripes along its body. Size: up to 1.2 m (3.9ft) and weighing up to 16 kg (35lb).
  
• Voadeira – Boat usually made of aluminum propelled by an engine / motorized canoe.