Heart of palm

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The heart of the palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and shoots grow from certain palm trees (especially coconut ( Cocos nucifera ), palmito juÃƒÆ'Ã‚Â§ara ( Euterpe edulis ), AÃƒÆ'Ã‚Â§aÃƒÆ' palm ( Euterpe oleracea ), sabal ( Sabal spp.), pupunha and pejibaye ( Bactris gasipaes ) palms ). Harvesting many single, non-farmed or wild soles produces palm tree death (eg ). However, other palm species are clonal or multi-stem crops (eg Prestoea acuminata , Euterpe oleracea ) and moderate harvest will not kill all clonal palms. The heart of the palm can be eaten alone, and is often eaten in a salad.

The alternative to the wild heart of the palm is the oil palm varieties that have undergone the process of adaptation to become a pet farming species. The main varieties that have been domesticated are the botanical species Bactris gasipaes , known in Ecuador as chontaduro , in Brazil and Costa Rica as b > palmito , and in English as peach palm . This variety is the most widely used for canning. Peach palm is self-suckering and produces several stems, up to 40 on one plant, so harvesting a few stems from the plant is not so expensive as the plant can live. Another advantage he had from other palms was that he had been selectively bred to remove the evil thorns from his wild cousin. Since the harvest is still a labor-intensive task, the heart of the palm is considered a delicacy.

In 2008, Costa Rica was the main source of fresh palm oil in the US. The Edible Palm Company located in Orlando, Florida has been the largest importer of sustainable Fresh Hearts Palm from Costa Rica to the United States since 2002. Peach palm is also cultivated in Hawaii, and now has a limited distribution on land, especially for restaurant trade. Wild Florida Sabal palmetto or oil palm cabbage has been a source of palm hearts but is now protected by conservation laws.

Video Heart of palm

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When harvesting the young cultivated palm, the tree is felled and the bark removed leaving a layer of white fiber around the center of the core. During processing the fibers are removed leaving the central core or palm of the hand. The center core is attached to a slightly more fibrous cylindrical base with a larger diameter. The entire center cylinder center and attached base can be eaten. The center core is considered more of a delicacy because of its lower fiber content.