Bactris gasipaes is one of several species for palm trees – all members of the Areceae family – that is cultivated for its 'hearts of palm.'The 'heart' of the palm is the tender center of young palm shoots. Shoots, which may several feet to a couple of yard long, are encased in a woody exterior that is stripped to reveal the 'heart.'
Some of the other species of palm that are commercially harvested for 'heart of palm' include Cocos nucifera (coconut) and Uterpe oleracea (acai palm). But B. gasipaes is one the main species that winds up in 'heart of palms.' This is in part because the root mass is able to produce numerous shoots which can be harvested without significantly harming the plant.
It may also have something to do with the fact that the fruit of B. gasipaes is not particularly tasty (to humans) or useful (for oil extraction).
In North America, heart of palms are most common as a salad topper. They get more use in other parts of the world – notably Brazil, where heart of palm shows up in a lot of dishes. And also in Costa Rica: one of my favorites heart of palm recipes is a Costa Rican he
art of palm soup.
Even near the source, people usually don't eat heart of palm fresh. They are typically canned in brine. As a result they can be surprisingly salty. The other difficulty of cooking with heart of palm is that their delicate flavor is easily over powered.
I do like them as a pizza topping, though. And since I didn't have time to pull together a soup today, that's how we had them.
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