Guarana-in the indigenous language warana, meaning "the beginning of all knowledge"-has been cultivated for centuries in the Brazilian Amazon, in an 8,000-square-kilometer region around the headwaters of the Andirá and Márau rivers. The fruits are harvested a little before ripening and then plucked by hand. The seeds, slowly cooked in earthen ovens, are then separated from the integument, pounded in mortars, kneaded into sticks, called "warana breads," and placed on hanging mats, exposed to smoke from aromatic woods (especially murici). The bread, at the time of consumption, is grated with a basalt stone.
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