The Best Edible Palms

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

The latest discussion on edible fruits on dypsis lutescens has me curious on what the best edible palms are. We very much enjoy the jelly palm fruits when they ripen here, and the coquitos off jubaea chilensis and parajubaea are delicious, but a lot of work to eat.

So what's your favorite edible palm? I'll throw in some candidates, most of which I can't grow.

Does the Peach Palm (Bactris gasipaes) grow in Florida or Hawaii, and what does it taste like?

The Açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea fruit is readily available, but what about the Mountain Açaí, Euterpe edulis? The fruit of the latter is supposed to be much more nutritious than the oleracea, but I've never tasted it.

Then there is the Salak, (Salacca zalacca or Salacca edulis), I buy this at the farmers' markets when I visit Thailand, and I've even seen it in Hawaii once. Doesn't seem a lot of people grow Salacca zalacca since it's not a very ornamental palm, but it sure is tasty. If you get the runs, this is the fruit to eat.

Then there is the Caxandó from Brazil (Allagoptera arenaria), the fruit is supposed to be quite good, both the fruit flesh and the seeds are supposed to be edible. I've never tried it.

The akat, or gingerbread date (hyphane) is also described as pretty delicious:

[Palmə häl′ik]

You never cease to amaze me axel

[sarasota alex]

Ta Henket beer is my favorite. Hyphaene thebaica fruit is one of the main ingredients.

In reality it would be pretty hard for any palm to compete with either coconut or date palms.

[realarch]

Bactris gasipaes fruit is delicious, at least I think so. Tasted like sweet potatoes. They grow well here in Hi., but I've never seen any fruit available, which when I think about it, seems strange. There are a couple of local growers who supply the hearts of palm market on the island.

I'll have to try the Allagoptera seed, have quite a few seeding right now. I'll let you know.

Tim

[Tropicgardener]

I only eat Coconuts

[Ken Johnson]

I like other parts too. Ever try the newly formed remote germination tube on a Borassus?

[Palmə häl′ik]

All day long.

Yummy.

[PalmnutVN]

Here in VN the gelatinous core of the seed of Nypa fruiticans is considered to be considered somewhat of a delicacy. Personally, I can't see what all the fuss is about.

Borassus is also widely used for the sugar like substance that can be extracted from it.

I also found this seed in Bali which the locals call 'Bali nut' although up until now, I haven't been able to identify the palm itself. The seeds have bright red skin and a sweet, orange flesh which is sucked from the seed. The seed and the palm are below.....

[realarch]

I've tried Salacca fruit and it's ...umm ok, no need to try it again. Exotic looking seed though.

Tim

[Darold Petty]

My older palm books state that the Maori people ate the immature spadix of Rhopalostylis. Does anyone have a recipe?

I ate it once, but it was dull and insipid. Perhaps edibility depends on how hungry one is ??

[realarch]

Just tried some Allagoptera arenaria and the taste is quite good. Looks like vegetable candy corn. It was sweet and the flavor reminded me of a cantaloupe. Not much pulp, juicy, and pretty fibrous. Thanks for the info Andrew, nice fact to know.

Tim

[richnorm]

Acrocomia seed is really good - on a par with macadamia.

[_Keith]

What about the heart? When you kill the palm, and rip its heart out with your bare hands, or chainsaw, juices dripping down to you elbow and hold it up to the sky showing your sacrifice to the Gods.

Ohh, must have been the Aztec in me.

[Xerarch]

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the most obvious and highly tasty Phoenix dactylifera yet.

[awkonradi]

Anyone tasted Brahea edulis?

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Anyone tasted Brahea edulis?

I've tasted them, Pretty good, a bit like caramel.

[Gileno Machado]

The most delicious Palm heart is obtained from Euterpe edulis (jussara) but please don't tell everybody this secret...there's already too much pressure.with the conservation status of the species here in our atlantic forest environment. Euterpe oleracea makes the second best (and the palm survives after harvesting one of the stems). Bactris gasipaes is being widely plantes as a substitute but they still need to develop better tasting cultivars.

I thought Allagoptera was softly poisonous, haha...

[aussiearoids]

LocAL grower [sA] will have Barhee dates ready soon for sale .

They imported some fresh Medjool dates a few years ago , mmm delicous ..

found this blog about them ; When you stop to sample dates at the farmers market and the man selling them has a protective hand over a small piece of cardboard hiding two baskets of small, round dates which, when you ask him how they taste, he describes as "butterscotch candy," you go home with those dates, obviously. He wouldn't lift up the cardboard to give you a taste before you handed over your cash, but he is right: these dates taste like butterscotch candy.Barhi dates are rare for being tasty in both their yellow, crunchy state (khalal in Arabic) and their soft, brown state. At this rutab stage of ripeness, their skins are thin and crackling, giving way to a smooth, creamy interior that tastes like brown sugar and caramel. Looking for a definition of "nature's candy"? This is it. The bad news is that Barhi dates have a brief season and are too delicate to be commercially shipped, so the best place to find them is at farmers markets, although there are mailorder sources. The good news is that once you get your hands on a basket, they can be kept in the refrigerator for several months.

[Xerarch]

I bought a bunch of khalal stage bahri dates this paste fall, I am a huge fan of dates and it was wonderful to try them in the khalal stage, most date varieties are still quite bitter in that stage but bahri are good. As far as what you find a the supermarket, medjool are the best, better than deglet noor or zahedi in my opinion. Oh, and I always buy them with the pit left in, for some reason they seem better.

[amazondk]

Tucumã - Astrocaryum aculeatum

[Shirleypalmpaws]

Acrocomia seed is really good - on a par with macadamia.

Richnorm, do you mean any of the Acrocomia? I've been admiring Acrocomia totai, altho I haven't been able to find one here. I think they're cold hardy and I wouldn't have to worry for when temps drop. And if the seed is edible ---how awesome that would be--- yum!

[DoomsDave]

Washies have hearts with a nutty taste, a bit fibrous.

Parajube tor tor has a delicious heart, a lot like mild pineapple.

Roystonea heart is big and fat, with a delicate taste.

Archontophoenix heart tastes terrible, bitter.

[User00]

Caryota urens sap and products 

[sur4z]

On 1/19/2014, 9:17:54, Xerarch said:

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the most obvious and highly tasty Phoenix dactylifera yet.

I second this choice...Medjool dates are the best!!

[Bigfish]

Well, "edible" and "tasty" are two separate things...but I have heard that natives ate Sabal fruits, and, (*GASP*) Rhapidophyllum fruit (!).

 

"and recent possessing an eatable sweetish pulp, with which the Aborigines are acquainted."

 

From John K. Small's "The Needle Palm - Rhapidophyllum hystrix", Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 24:105-114. 1923

 

https://www.palms.org/principes/1956/v1n1p5-7.pdf

 

Personally, I actually enjoy the smell of Rhapidophyllum fruit (i know, I know...), but haven't been able to bring myself to eat the first bite yet.  I did try Sabal fruit once, and it reminded me of a date...sort of. 

[edric]

http://www.rarefruit.org/PDF_files/EdiblePalmsandTheirUses.pdf  Ed

[amazondk]

Just harvested some Tucumã, Astrocaryum aculeatum.  They are great.

 

 

[Zeeth]

I tried ripe saw palmetto berries before. They were awful, but apparently edible. 

[Jimbean]

I have eaten the following fruit:

Sabal palmetto

Serenoa repens

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Phoenix spp

Butia capitata

 

and I have eaten coconuts as well (Cocos nucifera)

[pigafetta]

I really like Salak its a proper and unique fruit rather than just a bit of pulp around a big seed, i eat it a lot when in Indonesia and like has been said is a good fruit to eat when you have the runs.

Like any fruit it does vary in taste from fruit to fruit or variety or how ripe it is some are sweet some bitter and tarty when you get a good batch it has a crispy texture is sweet with a very sight almost nutty tarty flavour.

I also ate Coconut palm heart last time i was in Indonesia as a few palms had to be cut down to make way for a new building, the locals were right into it as to them its a treat, to me it just tasted like raw cabbage but it did taste like clean and crisp fresh raw cabbage and had a more delicate texture, almost like a huge bamboo shoot.

[Roberto Mello]

My favorite palm fruit for now is the South American butiá (Butia capitata), very tasty and juicy.  

[MAPU 1]

Allagoptera Brevacalyx  is even better than arenaria, and heart of Attalea Cohune is very good.

[Kailua_Krish]

Does anyone know if you can eat the heart of dypsis lutescens?