t24 PRINCIPES [Vol. 9

little more than two weeks he reports ing, and the washingtonias actually that in spite of his washing them thor- seem to be thriving from the salt oughly as soon as possible with fresh dosage. water he is losing many of the Liuisto' Mr. Kobernick is keeping meticulous na chinensis in four-inch pots; how' records of germination times, and re- ever, Chamq'edorea erunxpens, C. Sei- ports them to the secretary from time frizii, Veitchia Menillii and' Ptycho- to time. sperrna Macarthu.rii seem to be surviv' Lucrre H. Wllr Palm Cabbage W. H. Hoocp The family of the palms is one of the and food value of palm cabbage show largest among flowering plants. It is that it is very similar to true cabbage also one of the most important, prob- (Brassica). Analyses made in Central ably surpassedonly by the grass fam- America focused attention on two spe- ily in its value to mankind' Edible cies, Mexican coyol ( Acrocomia mexi' fruits or seeds,oils, waxes, sugar and cana) and one of the deep forest palms, fibers are some of the more important Geonoma edulis, while a Cuban ana' contributions that these plants make to lysis dealt with the Cuban royal palm the economy of mankind. (Roystonea reCio). In food energy On occasion,visitors to the tropics or (calories), water content, protein, fat subtropics,or residentsthere, may have and total carbohydrate, the cabbages of the opportunity to taste one of the many these palms were aknost identical with lesser economic products of palms, Brassica. Principal differences occur "palm ooheart namely cabbage" or of in calcium and phosphorus content palm", as it is also known. Each of which, in the palms, is double the value these names is appropriately descrip- oI Brassi.ca. Palm cabbage has only tive when one understands that they traces of vitamin A as opposed to the both apply to the terminal bud of a palm considerable vitamin A content of true tree. This bud, the active growing cabbage. On the other hand, palm cab' point of the tree, is composed of ten- bage has about the same content with der embryonic leaveslocated at the tip regard to thyamine, riboflavin and nia- of the trunk where the bud is amply cin, but has only one half the ascorbic protected by the numerous imbricated acid content. basal sheaths of the mature leaves. The A difference in availability of these o'heart" palm bud is thus certainly the two vegetable foods that will always of the palm, both with regard to its exist relates to the fact that cruciferous position as well as its function. cabbage is an herb, grown in horticul' On the other hand, palm cabbage is ture as an annual or biennial, whereas in most ways best compared in flavor palms are perennial trees. True cabbage and use with ordinary cabbage. Pri- is grown economically on an annual marily a texture food, it has a rnild basis and at time of harvest essentially sweetish (or slightly bitter in inferior the whole aerial part of the plant is species) nutty flavor when eaten fresh, used as food. In contradistinction, to but a smoother asparagus-liketexture enjoy palm cabbage,a mature tree must when cooked. Moreover, the few assays be sacrificed; and since the delicatebud that have been made of the composition representsonly a minor portion of the l96sl HODGE:PALM CABBAGE t25 plant body that can be utilized, this palm cabbageis a delicacythat, in many is obviously a wastefuloperation. Thus areas,can only be enjoyed when a palm

IlI. Euterpe edulis ?, growing in mountain forests near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This slender, single- stemmed palm is probably the major source o{ palm cabbage widely available in the Brazil- ian market. PRINCIPES [Vol. 9

ll2. A young royal palm, Roystonea, shor.ing the smooth green crol'nshaft typical of this genus. Within this imbricated cylinder of lea{ bases is the tender cylindrical terminal bud, source of edible palm cabbage. 196sI HODCE:P{LM CABBACE r27

tree has to be felled for some other palm speciesare edible. This is a useful purpose. bit of emergencyfood knowledgefor It is probablethat the buds of most anyonetraveling in out-of-the-wayparts

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lf3. The fresh cylindrical cabbageof a palm, Euterpe dominicana (center), as extractedfrom the terminal portion of a tree. On either -"ide are young in{lorescences of this species, endemic to the Lesser Antillean isle of Dominica. r28 PRINCIPES [Vol. 9 of the tropics. I can recall an instance, 1964 annual jamboree of the Everglades some twenty years ago, during World Conservation and Sportsman Club saw War II, while on quinine procurement sonre 10,000 visitors enjoying a gour' work in eastern Peru, when palm cab' met salad made from 500 swamp cab' bage was a regular Godsend. Slender bages. palms of various genera were common Best quality palm cabbage appears in the montane forests where we were to come from the genus Euterpe. AP- working. Food was plain - rice with proximately a dozen species are in- such game as we could procure - but volved, ofe or more being found in most fresh vegetablesand fruit were totally parts of tropical America, generally in lacking. An occasional palm cabbage mountainous terrain. At least one, the was our only source of fresh salad. ossal palm (Euterpe oleracea), ranges As I remember it, that Peruvian cab- widely in riparian sites in the lowlands bage was passable. I have said that the of the Guianasand Amazonia. Palms of buds of most palms are probably edi' this genus are commonly known in 'ocabbage ble. It has been reported that the bud English as palms." They are oI Orania is poisonous,and the majori' slender graceful plants (the Greek from ty may lack sweetnessor may even be which the name Euterpe was derived toforest on the bitter side. There has been no means grace") characterizedby systematic edibility survey of the genera having a crownshaft (a readily dis- "cab' of palms with respect to their tinguishable {alse trunk) surrounding bages,t' so we simply cannot say. On the main trunk and made up of the the other hand, certain genera - in sheathing green basesof the leaf stalks particular Euterpe,Prestoea, Roystonea, or petioles,which enclosethe elongated Sabal, and Wellia - are well known for apical bud rvithin in protective {ashion. the sweetness and succulence of their My first taste o{ palm cabbage was buds. Others describedin the literature that of the then undescribedmountain as edible include species of the genera palmiste (Euterpe dorninicana), ende' Acrocomia, Astrocaryum, Bactris, Geo' mic to the Lesser Antillean island of noma, Hyospathe, and Socratea. All oI Dominica where, in the late thirties, I these,as well as those above listed, are was first introduced to the tropics. neotropical taxa. As a matter of fact Pint-sized Dominica has magnificent there are but very few records that I mountain forests, and in those days the know of referring to the use of paleo- pahrtistenlontagne was a common com' tropical palms for cabbage; most per- ponent of certain rainforest communi- tain to palms of the New World. ties. Moreover, palm hearts,though not Familiar to many is the common a regular item, were occasionallyvended palmetto ( Sabal Palrnetto.) of our South, rvith other tropical vegetables in tho the statetree of Florida and South Caro- town market at Roseau. and those lina. An alternatename, cabbagepalm' planters living in the interior occasion' etto, refers to the not infrequent use of ally supplemented their meals with a the bud of this common but slow'grow- serving of coeur de pahniste, as this "glades" ing palm for cabbage. In the vegetablewas called in the local island o'swamP area of Florida, cabbages" - patois. as palm hearts are more frequentlY Morphologically the bud making uP known - often are offered is a special palm cabbage,like the garden cabbage "head" delicacy at picnics and barbecues. The or bud. is a collection of imbri' HODGE:PALM CABBAGE

"swamp 114. Preparing cabbage" salad from terminal buds of the cabbage palmetto, Sabal palrnetto, Sharon Bullock, member of Miami's Everglades Conservation and Sportsman Club, trelps pre- pare salad from some of the 500 palm hearts served to 10.000 people at the Club's 1964 Jam- boree (Photo courtesy of the Miami Herald).

cated Ieaves which has been complessed and in length from one to several feet. into a light vegetable package. Garden Over 150 years ago, in his personal cabbage is spherical in shape whereas narrative of travels, Alexander von palm cabbage takes the cylindrical form I{umbolt described Indian women of the "roasted o{ the tree trunk in which it occurs. It Orinoco serving their men mon- is a simple task to extract the bud {rom key. fermented liquors and palm cab- a felled palm tree. The cylindrical seg- bage . six feet long and five inches ment of the stem represented by the in diameter." As in head cabbage, the green crownshaft is simply cut out, - in tenderest leaves of the palm heart are Latin America usually with a machete. the voungest and are innermost, Palm A slit is then cut longitudinally for the cabbage may be eaten raw, out of hand, full length of the crownshaft. Once the or cut or chopped up in salad with salt outer leaf bases are removed, a white or an appropriate dressing. On the internal cylinder o{ tender immature other ha-nd, and as with head cabbage, leaves is obtained. This is the palm it rnay be simply cooked or incorporated heart or cabbage. Depending upon the in various food preparations such as species of palm involved, this may vary soups, stews or omelets. For those who in diameter from one to several inches. rnay have the chance to try tinned palm PRINCIPES

115. Brazilian tinned palm cabbage (possibly {rom Euterpe edulis), as taken {rom a can, hearts, here are a few simply recom- Brazil. for that land is noted for both mended recipes: the variety and numbers of its palms. Palm Fleart Salad Undoubtedly the world's palm flora Marinate slices of palm heart in a reaches its zenith in Brazil. The cab- dressingof vinegar, olive oil, minced bage palm genus, Euterpe, is likewise onion (optional), salt and pepper, abundant - at least in individuals if and serve on lettuce or on top of not in species.As with the majority of tomato slices. palms, the latter are still incompletely Canned palm heart is an excellent known, and this may even be true of addition to any non-fruit salad. Brazil's palm.ito-producing palm, gen- Palm Heart Soup erally assumed to be Euterpe edulis. Canned palm heart. chopped fine, This non-clumping species forms very makes an excellent cream soup. extensivestands in the humid montane Choppedpalm heart is also an inter- forests along roughly a thousand miles esting addition to cream of tomato of rhe Brazilian coast from Espirito soup. Santo to Santa Catarina. Palm Heart Omelet During two recent trips, I tvas struck Add diced canned palm heart (which by the almost universal use of palmito, has been saute6din a little butter) in at least in'the population centersaround an omeletbefore it has been folded. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Not only Although I have said that palm cab' does one see fresh palmito in the nrar- bage is a rather infrequently used vege- kets, but every corner grocery store and table in most.part of the American trop- restaurantseerns to be well stockedwith ics. there is at least one area where it tinned palm cabbage. As one Brazilian "Almost is so widely and regularly used that it botanist expressed it, every- has becornealmost a standard vegetable one has his palmito salad or soup norv- itenr in the diet. The area is Brazil. If adavs." Curiously enough, this same an)' country can af{ord the destruction RraziUan, who is a well-traveled field o{ a palm tree for each family serving botanist, had no idea where in Brazil of palm heart - or pal,mito, as it is all this tinned palm cabbagecomes from known in Latin Arnerica - it should be --- nor har.eI beenable to ferret out this l96sl HODGE:PALM CABBAGE

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116. Sliced Brdrzilianpalm cabbage served on a fresh salad plate. information from the limited local data valued at U.S. $22,000). Most of this that have been made available to me. goes to neighboring Argentina" but Suf{ice it to sav that the rate pt rvhich -"omehas been shipped to Europe, and palms are being sacrificed for this in- I have noted tins of Brazilian palmito dustry will evcntually deplete the nat- recently in a new specialty grocery in ural supply, r.vhichat present undoubt- dorvntorvnWashington, D.C. During the edly seemslimitless, same period no fresh palmito was ex- No figures are available on the pres- ported until 1956 when four tons appear ent level of consurnption of palm cab- in the record; in 1961 this increasedto bage in Brazil. Export figures do show approximately 520 tons valued at the following: esport of tinned palinito $12,000. From these figures we can has increasedslightly from 586 tons irr infer that palm heart utilization in 1954 to 662 tons in 1961 (the latter Brazil is substantialat the presenttime.