Aguaje
Aguaje is an iconic element of the Amazonian diet. The oil-rich fruits are an important source of vitamins A and C, and are probably the most abundantly consumed fruit of the Peruvian Amazon. The harvested aguaje is "ripened" by being soaked in warm water for an hour to several hours, loosening up the hard outer shell and softening the bright yellow-orange pulp. The fruits are then consumed as is, in a thick sweetened beverage (aguajina), or in dairy-free homemade ice cream.
In the wild, aguaje palms are a primary element in swampy and perpetually-flooded landscapes. These mono-dominant stands are called aguajales and occupy vast areas of Amazonia. In a cultivated setting, aguaje growth can be slow, often only reaching productivity after ten to fifteen years. Aguaje palms grow best in moist soils and full sunlight, but can tolerate a wide range of humidity and shade within the spectrum of Amazonian conditions.
In agroforestry systems, the growth habit of aguaje makes it especially conducive to intercropping. The palm's large size at maturity means that these should be spaced no closer than 6 m x 6 m, with a spacing of 10 m preferable for systems involving intercrops of small-to-midsized trees. The slow growth of the species means it can be successfully combined with a range of faster maturing crops, including cassava (yuca), plantains, or precocious trees such as arazá and copoazú. An alternative production system would involve a spacing of 3 m x 3 m, with the primary yield being suri, a delicacy consisting of beetle grubs that use rotting felled palm trunks as a growth substrate.
Aguaje palms are dioecious, meaning that a percentage of trees will be non-fruit bearing males. These trees play an active role in the pollination of females, and should not be eliminated from the agroforestry system.
For extensive information on the ecology and cultural significance of aguaje, please see the Camino Verde Article: People, forests and aguaje: Reflections on a landscape and culture of abundance
