DE NORTE A SUL: UMA ANÁLISE SOBRE AS CARACTERÍSTICAS ECONÔMICAS E GASTRONÔMICAS DAS PRINCIPAIS FRUTAS IDENTITÁRIAS NO BRASIL

The present study aims to analyze the characteristics of some Brazilian fruits from the perspective of consumption, economics, and gastronomic versatility. Five specific fruits were selected, namely pequi, butia, jabuticaba, caju, and acai. These fruits were chosen considering the representativeness of each of these in the five Brazilian regions. In addition to these fruits, we also analyzed the characteristics of the banana, as it is present in the fruit consumption of all the observed regions. Based on bibliographic studies associated with data collection in the virtual field through the netnographic method, the research seeks to understand and shed some light on each of these fruits. Anchoring on authors such as Steele, Mourao, and Fagundes added to data from sources such as IBGE and Embrapa. From the information collected throughout the study, we can claim the relevance of these fruits for the economic growth of their region of origin through their consumption that occurs in different ways, being stimulated mainly by the gastronomic versatility that they offer. The study also brings a brief observation on the manifestation of these fruits considering the pandemic which we are in due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, reinforcing the importance of fruits for the national fruit market.