♥ Hearts of Palm ♥
September 9, 2009
Panino Sportivo is one of the few quick-eat options in the immediate vicinity of my school’s Morningside Heights campus. There lies a most satisfyingly scrumptious sandwich named Davide. Davide is simple and unadorned deliciousness: sliced hearts of palm, plum tomato and arugula served on fresh toasted Italian bread. Remember on Twin Peaks when Jerry Horne returned from France with a couple of brie and butter sandwiches to share with his brother? I kind of feel about the Davide like they did about those. It is that good.
Hearts of palm you don’t see everyday. And when you do it’s mostly in the canned food aisle in an obscure-looking can originating from some tropical region. Despite its carbon footprint, I love them hearts. According to the interweb, it is also known as burglar’s thigh, swamp cabbage and chonta. These names are fitting because, well, it’s kind of weird stuff. It’s the firm, slightly rubbery inner-tube of a palm tree… the heart of the palm. Much like with the artichoke, there is an allure to eating the heart. Some sick carnal, albeit vegan, satisfaction in tapping into these vegetable’s life force.