. >> leonardo paixao: so we are up at the central market at bello horizonte.state and we share with every other state around. it's very democratic up here. uh, the people come here -- they can have a haircut, they can buy like living chicken or good cheese from france. >> anthony: if mineas is the heart of brazilian cooking, then the mercado central is the heart of mineas. it's the place where everybody shops, including chefs like leo, who are focused on giving mineiras products the attention they deserve. this is a country where there is a lot of fruit that i've never seen outside of brazil. >> leonardo paixao: yeah. >> anthony: a lot of it is super perishable too. like even if you wanted to export it, it just doesn't really last. >> leonardo paixao: we're getting to pequi season now. >> anthony: oh, yeah. >> leonardo paixao: and people get, like, overwhelmed by the just like they eat it like -- >> anthony: every day. >> leonardo paixao: every day. >> anthony: the infamous pequi, loved and hated in equal measure. it's described by both camps as tasting sweaty