This salad of hearts and palms, olives, peas and tomatoes is a
Brazilian favorite. Hearts of palm
have long been a part of Brazil’s cuisine. The Amerindians of the Atlantic
coastal region in and around the state of Bahia first shared hearts of palm,
which grow in abundance in Brazil’s tropical climate, with the Portuguese
colonists.
This easy-to-make salad featuring this simple ingredient is uncommonly refreshing and will be the
perfect accompaniment to your Brazilian meal. Hearts of palm is consistently
tender and delicious, they have become favorites of chefs the world over,
complementing a wide range of recipes. They make a delightful appetizer or side dish when sautéed with butter and topped
with grated Parmesan. They may also be enjoyed straight from the can as a low-calorie snack, or sliced and served
as a wonderful addition to any salad. Once you try them, we know that they will
become a favorite addition to your culinary life.
When making this creamy salad, most
Brazilian cooks include hearts of palm, which come from the stems of certain
palm trees. Hearts of palm are available canned in most grocery stores, but if
you have trouble finding them, the salad is just as tasty without them. I have
tried buying at Amazon.com and I'm satisfied. If you don't have time buy it at Native Forest Organic Hearts of Palm. This is the bestselling
brand. Also, to save time you may want to use a cup or two of packaged
shoestring potatoes instead of frying your own.
What is Heart
of Palm?
Heart of
palm, also called palm heart, chonta, palm cabbage
or swamp cabbage, is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and
growing bud of certain palm trees (notably the coconut (Cocos nucifera),
Palmito Juçara (Euterpe edulis), Açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea),
sabal (Sabal spp.) and pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes) palms). The
edible inner part of the stem of the cabbage palm tree, with a flavor similar
to artichokes. Hearts of palm are slender, ivory-colored and delicately
flavored resembling white asparagus for some people, without the tips. Hearts
of palm are about 4 inches long and range in diameter from pencil-thin to 1-
1.5 inches.
Harvesting of many non-cultivated
or wild single-stemmed palms results in palm tree death (e.g. Geonoma edulis).
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 which have undergone a process of adaptation to become
a domesticated farm species. The main variety that has been domesticated is the
botanical species Bactris gasipaes, known in Ecuador as chontaduro,
in Costa Rica as palmito, and in English as the peach palm.
This variety is the most widely used for canning. Peach palms are
self-suckering and produce multiple stems, 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
a labor intensive task, palm hearts are regarded as a delicacy.
As of 2008, Costa Rica is the
primary source of fresh palm hearts in the US. Peach palm is also cultivated in
Hawaii, and now has 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.
Brazil was the highest producer of
uncultivated hearts of palm, but in the 1990s its quality went down - mostly
because of unsustainable poaching for stems (called colete, Portuguese
for "vest") of the main producing species, Euterpe edulis -
which is now considered as threatened with extinction in the wild. This left
the market open for Ecuador to export its cultivated hearts of palm. Ecuador is now one of the main
producers of hearts of palm. France is
the largest importer of hearts of palm.
Watch Video: How It's Made Hearts of Palm
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.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 6-ounce can hearts of palm, preferably organic
2 cups hot water
1 lime
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium-size oranges, preferably organic
2 ripe medium-size tomatoes, preferably organic
1/2 head of lettuce, Boston, red or green leaf, or romaine,
preferably organic
1/2 cup whole, unsalted cashews
4 to 5 sprigs fresh mint
PROCEDURE:
1) Drain
the hearts of palm in a colander, and place them in a bowl. Cover them with the
hot water and set them aside while
you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2) Cut
the lime in half. Squeeze the juice and add it to a small jar with a
tight-fitting lid.
3) Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4) Put
the lid on the jar, shake well, and set aside. This is the salad dressing.
5) Wash
and peel the oranges, cut them into thin slices crosswise, and set aside.
6) Wash
the tomatoes, cut out the stem circle from the top, and dice the remaining part
into small chunks. Place them in a bowl.
7) Drain
the hearts of palm and gently shake the colander to remove any excess moisture.
8) Cut
the hearts into ½-inch-round slices and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
9) Shake
the dressing again and pour it over the palm-and-tomato combination.
10) Wash the lettuce leaves and pat them dry
with paper towels.
11) Arrange
the lettuce leaves on a platter.
12) Mound
the palm-and-tomato combination in the center of the leaves.
13) Arrange
the orange slices and cashew nuts around the outer edge of the platter.
14) Wash
the fresh mint and remove the leaves from the stems.
15) Garnish the salad
with the mint leaves and serve cold.
Hearts of palm are harvested from the
inner core of certain palm trees. Costa
Rica is the main supplier of hearts of palm to the United States. You may
find them fresh, but more often they are canned or packed in glass jars. Try
them sliced in salads or puréed in soups and sauces.
What is Hearts of Palm Taste Like?
Hard to describe what they taste like. They kind of look like
white asparagus minus the tips. The texture is crisp without the 'crunch'. They
are soft, yet firm to the touch, and have a mild sweetness. The is flavor similar to artichokes for some culinary experts it is delicately flavored resembling white
asparagus for others.
How to Select Hearts of Palm
Choose moist,
intact hearts of palm that are unblemished. Avoid or discard bruised or overly soft stalks.
How to Store Hearts of Palm
Fresh hearts of palm should be refrigerated immediately. Unused, tightly sealed portions can be
stored for up to 2 weeks. Store cans or jars out of sunlight at room
temperature. Once opened, use within 1 week.
CALORIE COUNTER
Hearts of Palm, Canned
hearts of palm, vegetables,
salad, palmito, veggies
A Grade
41 Calories
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (146
g)
Per Serving
|
%
Daily Value
|
Calories 41
|
|
Calories from Fat 8
|
|
Total Fat 0.9g
|
1%
|
Saturated Fat 0.2g
|
1%
|
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
|
|
Monounsaturated Fat 0.2g
|
|
Cholesterol 0mg
|
0%
|
Sodium 622mg
|
26%
|
Potassium 258mg
|
7%
|
Carbohydrates 6.7g
|
2%
|
Dietary Fiber 3.5g
|
14%
|
Sugars 0.0g
|
|
Protein 3.7g
|
|
Vitamin A
|
0%
|
Vitamin C
|
19%
|
Calcium
|
8%
|
Iron
|
25%
|
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