Giant water lily: it is edible!!!
There are plants that we admire for their beauty. And then there are those that tell the story of an entire region all by themselves.
The Vitória-régia belongs to this second category.
With its immense, circular leaves floating on the surface of the water, it has become one of the most iconic symbols of the Amazon. An almost unreal plant that we photograph and observe, and around which stories and legends have been built.
But did you know that the Vitória-régia was edible?
I didn't know it myself until I had a rather extraordinary experience, not far from the region where I grew up, in the state of Pará.
It was there, at the Canal do Jari, that I went personally to meet Dona Dulce, a woman who has spent years experimenting with the culinary possibilities of this Amazonian plant.
But before I tell you about that meeting, let's get to know this extraordinary plant.
The giant of the Amazonian waters
Its scientific name is Victoria amazonica.
This aquatic plant of the Nymphaeaceae family is native to the Amazon basin. And the word "giant" is really no exaggeration: its leaves can reach up to 3 meters in diameter, the length of a small car!
But their size is not their only unique feature.
Their structure is so ingenious and their buoyancy so impressive that a mature leaf can support about 45 kg when the weight is properly distributed, enough to carry a child.
Hidden beneath this immense green surface is a true natural architecture.
A network of veins forms a kind of skeleton that reinforces the leaf, while its underside, with reddish or purplish tones, is also protected by thorns.
Its flower is just as fascinating.
It opens at night, white at first, before gradually taking on pinkish tones. It then attracts pollinating insects and participates in an astonishing natural cycle.
Everything about the Vitória-régia seems spectacular: its size, its strength, its architecture, its blooming.
And yet, one of its most surprising features remains still largely unknown, especially in Europe.
The edible treasure of the Amazon
It was therefore at the Canal do Jari, not far from Alter do Chão, that the way I looked at the Vitória-régia changed completely.
This place has a special resonance for me.
Originally from Pará, in the Amazon basin, this region is part of my history and my childhood.
Even after all these years spent in France, returning to this territory is never for me a simple tourist trip.
It is rediscovering landscapes, sensations, and a way of life that belong to my roots.
It was in this environment that I went personally to meet Dona Dulce, who has become a pioneer in the gastronomic use of the Vitória-régia.
At her home, the plant is not just to be admired:
it is cooked and it is enjoyed.
Dona Dulce has experimented for years to imagine numerous recipes using different parts of the plant: tempura, moqueca, spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, preparations based on banana, seeds, chips, quiche, jam, desserts, cake...
And I had the chance to taste all of it.
Everything that could be discovered and tasted on site, I tested.
Beyond the surprise of discovering the Vitória-régia in all these forms, I keep an unforgettable memory of this experience: all these dishes were exquisite.
Even today, I still have the photos and videos of that meeting. For me, having grown up in this region of Pará, discovering a plant so intimately associated with the Amazonian landscapes in this form was particularly moving.
The Vitória-régia suddenly became something more than a symbol of the Amazon: it became an experience to share, knowledge to pass on, and a local treasure to preserve.
Dona Dulce, a pioneer on the banks of the Jari
What makes Dona Dulce's story so interesting is not just the number of recipes she has managed to create.
It is above all the way it all began.
By observing the plant, its environment, and the animals that consumed it, she wondered about the possibilities offered by this Vitória-régia that grew around her.
So she tried. She experimented, cooked, transformed, started over.
Little by little, what was initially a curiosity became a real work around the plant.
Over the years, Dona Dulce has thus developed more than twenty preparations around the Vitória-régia.
Her work has eventually gone far beyond the banks of the Canal do Jari.
Many visitors from Brazil and elsewhere travel to her to discover her garden, understand her work, and taste her creations. Her experience has also attracted the attention of chefs, media, and researchers.
Can we say that she is the only person in the world who cooks the Vitória-régia?
It would be difficult to claim that today.
But Dona Dulce is recognized as one of the pioneers of this gastronomic enhancement of the Vitória-régia, and her work has helped to raise awareness of culinary possibilities that many were unaware of.
And that is perhaps where her story becomes even more interesting.
Knowledge developed on the edge of an Amazonian canal can travel, spark curiosity, inspire others, and change the way we view a plant.
What if the forest was worth more alive than destroyed?
Dona Dulce's story leads us to a much bigger question than gastronomy.
What value do we place on biodiversity?
The riches of the Amazon have too often been viewed only through what could be extracted from it: wood, minerals, agricultural land, and other resources.
But there is another way to imagine the economy of a territory.
This is where the notion of bioeconomy comes in.
In the Amazonian context, it notably allows us to reflect on activities capable of generating income by relying on biodiversity, renewable resources, and local knowledge, all while maintaining the ecosystems on which they depend.
Dona Dulce's experience offers a very concrete illustration of this.
A plant grows in its environment. She observes it and takes note of the interactions with other species. She learns to know it. She experiments. She creates.
Then people come to her to discover her work, taste her recipes, and understand this plant.
Biodiversity then generates value precisely because it remains alive.
This idea is essential when we think about the future of the Amazon.
The Amazon is not just a forest
Seen from Europe, the Amazon is often represented as an immense green expanse.
But it is much more. The Amazon is also a human territory.
Women and men have lived there for generations. They know the plants, the seasons, the rivers, the materials, and the transformations of their environment.
Indigenous peoples and traditional communities possess, in particular, knowledge and practices that are passed down through the generations.
Preserving the Amazon does not therefore consist solely of protecting trees, plants, or animals.
It is also allowing cultures, knowledge, and expertise to continue to live.
And it is precisely there that Dona Dulce's story joins another story that is dear to me: that of craftsmanship.
From the Vitória-régia to craftsmanship: a living wealth
A plant can become a recipe. A seed can become jewelry. A fiber can become an object.
But behind all these transformations, there is something essential: human knowledge.
The partner artisans with whom Amazonikaa works also use materials linked to the different Brazilian territories: seeds, wood, vegetable fibers, natural stones, golden grass (capim dourado)...
Each creation is the result of manual work. The techniques and gestures can be passed down from generation to generation, thus contributing to keeping a cultural heritage alive.
For many communities, craftsmanship also constitutes an essential economic activity.
It can be part of a bioeconomy approach, by making it possible to generate income while valuing local natural resources and ancestral know-how.
A Vitória-régia recipe and an artisanal piece of jewelry are obviously two very different things. But they tell us something in common: the richness of the Amazon does not reside only in what it possesses.
It also resides in the women and men who know their territory, pass on their knowledge, and imagine ways of living from its riches without making them disappear.
Making Brazil known in a different way
This is also one of the reasons why I created Amazonikaa.
I am Brazilian, originally from Pará, in the Amazon basin, and I have lived in France since 1999. In 2024, I decided to create Amazonikaa to participate, at my own scale, in the promotion of local craftsmanship and the economy of the peoples and artisans with whom I work.
Amazonikaa selects and introduces in Europe creations made by partner artisans in Brazil.
But behind the jewelry, my desire is also to transmit something else: making Brazil known in a different way.
Not just through its landscapes or the images we already know, but through the women and men who perpetuate expertise, traditions, and a living culture. It is this ambition that guides the vision of Amazonikaa.
Because a piece of jewelry takes on another dimension when you know who made it, where it comes from, what materials were used, and what expertise it carries.
That is ultimately what my meeting with Dona Dulce reminded me of.
A Vitória-régia may seem to be just a plant. A seed may seem to be just a seed. A piece of jewelry may seem to be just a piece of jewelry.
But when you know the person, the territory, the gesture, and the story, our perspective changes.
It is this Amazon that I want to share through Amazonikaa: a living, creative, and deeply human Amazon.
A land where women like Dona Dulce transform an iconic plant into an experience, where artisans transform materials into living heritage, and where each piece of expertise reminds us of one essential thing: preserving the riches of the Amazon also means recognizing the value of those who know them, respect them, and keep them alive.
Extend the journey through Brazilian craftsmanship
The richness of Brazil can also be discovered through the hands of those who keep its know-how alive. Discover the creations selected by Amazonikaa from its partner artisans, and the stories, cultures, and traditions they carry.