[Sca-cooks] hearts of palm

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

OK, so i'm getting tiresome. Nothing about ancient history. But after
seeing that a different palm was mentioned in each of my two
preceding finds, i looked further. Here's a quote that lists FIVE
different kinds. The prose gets a bit gushy by the end, but they are
trying to SELL the stuff, not merely inform.
http://www.nationalimporters.com/NIL2/HISTORY/PALM/palmindex.html

----- BEGIN QUOTE -----

INTRODUCTION
In the measure of flavour and texture, this intriguing vegetable has
few rivals. Top quality Hearts of Palm look like ivory White
Asparagus, have the delicate crunch of artichoke bottoms and the
flavour is somewhat reminiscent of both of those vegetable delights ;
they are also very nutritious, being rich in a number of vitamins and
minerals and essential metals.

For the indigenous peoples of Central and South America, where
various species of the edible palm grow, this delicacy is an
important part of their diet and the palms were harvested in the
wilds of the rainforest, year round. The wild harvest is also a
source of income for the natives who sell their bounty to processing
plants for canning. The quality of hearts taken from the wild palms
varies greatly depending on the age of the tree when it is cut. Trees
that are about a year old provide the best quality, most tender
hearts. As the trees mature the centre cord becomes tougher and woody
and the flavour is less delicate. Consequently , the quality of palm
hearts gathered in the wild varies significantly and reflects the
random nature of the harvest.

As the demand for hearts of a consistent good quality has grown, so
has the development of palm plantations in all the producing
countries, and the trees are carefully tended, nurtured and harvested
at the optimum stage of their growth. Not only does this ensure a
steady supply of young and tender hearts, it also addresses the
concerns of ecologists about the indiscriminate harvesting of
endangered or 'at risk ' species of palm. The development of
machinery for separating the tender heart from the hard bark and
tough fibrous inner wood has relieved the processing plant workers of
the arduous task of doing the job with machetes and speeded up the
canning process so that the hearts are preserved at their peak
condition.

Fresh hearts of palm are available only in the areas in which they
grow, though worldwide they are becoming more readily available,
packed in water, in cans and jars.

The major producing countries are Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica,
Ecuador and Venezuela. Lesser harvests are grown in Guatemala, Guyana
and , more recently, Thailand and the Philippines. There is also a
significant market for fresh and processed hearts of palm in Florida.
The palms most commonly grown for harvesting are the Acai (Brazil ) ,
Sabal Palmetto ( Florida ) , Palmito (Costa Rica ) and the Chontaduro
and Pejibaye palms of Ecuador.

Inevitably, the worldwide demand for this wonderful gift of the
rainforests is steadily growing as more people are introduced to the
amazing taste and texture of a truly remarkable vegetable. Hearts of
palm add a special element to many dishes, especially souffles,
omelets, and salads. Prolonged cooking will make the hearts mushy but
gently heated and served with melted butter they are a delightful
side vegetable. They are equally delicious served cold with a
vinaigrette or similar dressings. Any recipe that calls for the use
of asparagus or artichokes will be enhanced by heart of palm, the
only difference being that the hearts are ready to use, all the
enjoyment and none of the work. It just doesn't come easier than this!

----- END QUOTE -----

Yeah, that last paragraph has a little content and a lot of puffery.

Anyway, looks like it was eaten in the Caribbean and possibly
(probably) Central and South America, and maybe even Florida, back in
"our" day. But i rather doubt there was any way it could have gotten
back to Europe, given its "delicacy", unless some European managed
somehow to get a palm and grow it in a hothouse, then had their
servants hack away at it to get to the heart. I'm rather skeptical of
that scenario, but if you're looking for a New World / Conquistador
feast, well, it becomes something more of a possibility...

Anahita