Perhaps no fruit represents the Brazilian savanna-like Cerrado biome better than the pequi. The rounded yellow fruit is very much a love-it-or-hate-it food due to its strong, unique flavor — and how dangerous it is to eat. The only way to safely eat a pequi is by gently gnawing at it, scraping the pulp away from the seed, which is studded with dozens of tiny, sharp spines. When finished, there is nothing left except the spiky, useless pit, which is why in some Brazilian states, calling someone a “gnawed pequi” is highly offensive.
And in Brazil, that curious expression...
