Heart of palm

Fresh heart of palm

Heart of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees (notably coconut (Cocos nucifera), juçara (Euterpe edulis), Açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea), palmetto (Sabal spp.), and peach palm. Harvesting of many uncultivated or wild single-stemmed palms results in palm tree death (e.g. Geonoma edulis).[1] However, other palm species are clonal or multi-stemmed plants (e.g. Prestoea acuminata, Euterpe oleracea) and moderate harvesting will not kill the entire clonal palm. Heart of palm may be eaten on its own, and often it is eaten in a salad.

An alternative to wild heart of palm are palm varieties that have become domesticated farm species. The main variety that has been domesticated is Bactris gasipaes, known in English as peach palm.[2] This variety is the most widely used for canning. Peach palms are self-suckering and produce multiple stems,[3] up to 40 on one plant, so harvesting several stems from a plant is not so expensive because the plant can live on. Another advantage it has over other palms is that it has been selectively bred to eliminate the vicious thorns of its wild cousins. Since harvesting is still labor intensive, palm hearts are regarded as a delicacy.

As of 2008, Costa Rica was the primary source of fresh palm hearts in the U.S. The Edible Palm Company located in Orlando, Florida, has been the largest importer of sustainably farmed fresh hearts of palm from Costa Rica to the United States since 2002. Peach palms are also cultivated in Hawaii,[3] and now have limited distribution on the mainland, primarily to the restaurant trade. Florida's wild Sabal palmetto or cabbage palm was once a source of hearts of palm but is now protected by conservation law.[2]

Harvesting

Heart of palm being prepared in Brazil for sale

When harvesting the cultivated young palm, the tree is cut down and the bark is removed, leaving layers of white fibers around the center core. During processing, the fibers are removed, leaving the center core or heart of palm. The center core is attached to a slightly more fibrous cylindrical base with a larger diameter. The entire cylindrical center core and the attached base are edible. The center core is considered more of a delicacy because of its lower fiber content.

Nutrition

Heart of Palm
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 79.5 kJ (19.0 kcal)
3.1 g
Sugars 0.0 g
Dietary fiber 1.6 g
0.39 g
1.55 g
Vitamins Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
3%
23.4 μg
Vitamin C
2%
1.9 mg
Minerals Quantity %DV†
Calcium
5%
47 mg
Iron
16%
2.09 mg
Sodium
23%
349 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Hearts of palm are rich in fiber, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, vitamins B2, B6, and C.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sylvester, O.; Avalos, G. (2009). Illegal palm heart (Geonoma edulis) harvest in Costa Rican national parks: patterns of consumption and extraction. Economic Botany. 63(2): 179-189.
  2. 1 2 Zeldes, Leah A. (2010-11-17). "Eat this! Heart of palm, an exotic taste of the tropics". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  3. 1 2 Rose Kahele (August–September 2007). "Big Island Hearts". Hana Hou! Vol. 10, No. 4.
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