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Acai berries (Euterpe) are an Amazonian grape. Acai berries (Euterpe) Dark purple berries growing on a palm tree
The peach palm is a tree-like plant of the Palm family that produces edible fruits.
Straight slender palm tree 20-30 meters high. The trunk, along its entire length or only in the upper part, is covered with wide rings of long (up to 12 cm) black needle-like spines, which greatly complicate harvesting.
The leaves are long (2.4-3.6 meters), pinnate, with lanceolate dark green, prickly at the edges, leaflets. The petioles are also covered with spines.
The flowers are small, yellowish-white, collected in racemes up to 30 cm long, located under the very crown of the palm tree.
Fruits, yellow, orange or red, hang in clusters of 50-100 pieces. They are cup-shaped, conical or oval, about 6 cm long, with weakly expressed six faces. Under the thin skin is a sweet mealy yellow-orange flesh and a large ovoid stone with a sharp top.
The fruits of this palm tree are harvested from September to December, and this tree gives the richest harvest in October and November. Up to thirteen bunches of such fruits can grow on one palm tree. The palm tree blooms twice a year. If the soil is sufficiently moist, the peach palm in Panama can produce two crops a year.
The tree begins to bear fruit for 2-3 years, then an adult can pick the fruits while standing on the ground. As the palm tree grows in height, the clusters of fruit become more difficult to reach, so for harvesting, for example, Panamanians use special tools to pluck these clusters and make the fall of these delicate fruits on the ground as soft as possible.
Here is what Heinrich Walter Bets wrote about the peach palm, or as it is also called peihuare, who traveled in the Amazon in the middle of the nineteenth century: “The famous “peach palm”, pupunha ... .. (“Guilielma speciosa”). I believe that the name is given by the similarity of color, and not by the taste of the fruit, because it is dry and mealy, and the taste can be compared to chestnuts with cheese. ... This tree makes a wonderful decoration; it grows in clusters near houses covered with palm leaves; in its full development, the pupunha reaches from fifty to sixty feet in height. Ripe fruits are hard to pick up strong man, and each tree carries several of these brushes. Nowhere in the Amazon does the pupunha grow in the wild. This is one of the few plant products (including three genera of mandi oca and American types of banana) that the Indians have been cultivating since time immemorial... And then only more advanced tribes were engaged in its cultivation... Twelve pieces of fruits are enough to completely saturate an adult.
Peach Palm Spread
The homeland of the Peach palm is the Amazonian jungle of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. This palm tree has long been cultivated and distributed by Indian tribes to neighboring areas. It has the most important economic importance in Costa Rica. Also cultivated in Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, northern South America and in the Antilles. In 1924, the peach palm was introduced to cultivation in the Philippines and in the 1970s in India.
The use of peach palm
In addition to the fact that the fruit has great taste, it is also insanely high in vitamins, minerals, organic compounds which make it simply a unique food product. The fruit has a lot of protein structures, carbohydrates, vitamins C, E, A, B, K, as well as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.
The fruit of the peach palm is an efficient source of energy. 100 grams of fruit contains 37 grams of carbohydrates, which are the building blocks of our energy supply, and by breaking down these carbohydrates, our body is able to renew and energize very quickly. It is because of these wonderful useful properties, is popular in South American countries and is becoming more and more in demand around the globe.
Digestive system
Like most other vegetables and fruits, peach palm fruit is an excellent and versatile source of fiber. It plays an important role during digestion because its coarse fiber slows down the processing process. This, in turn, has a positive effect on reducing bloating, helping to prevent more serious gastrointestinal diseases such as stomach ulcers and colon cancer.
Heart health and diabetes
Fiber plays a very important role in the fight against diabetes and can help the body regulate insulin levels in the blood. By slowing down the absorption of glucose into the blood, fiber optimizes the functioning of many organs, such as the pancreas. Also, peach palm fruit fiber reduces the severity of the consequences of diabetes, strengthens the heart, cleanses the body of excess cholesterol in the blood vessels and arteries, thereby reducing the chances of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
Vision
One of the most important vitamins found in the fruit is vitamin A, as well as other carotenoids that help protect the body. Carotenes have a positive effect on eye health, and therefore improve vision, because they act as antioxidants, reducing cataracts, as well as preventing macular degeneration in the eye cell.
Skin protection
Vitamin C, vitamin A, also found in the miracle fruit, maintains a healthy fluid balance in the body. Vitamins stimulate the growth of new skin cells and protect others. Potassium in human blood helps to control the balance of water in the body, promotes the exchange of fluid in cells, thereby maintaining the functionality of all important elements of the body.
In addition, the fruit contains many key minerals, such as magnesium and calcium, which can normalize white blood cells and thus eliminate the chronic effects of free radicals.
Fresh fruits are not accepted.
The fruits are boiled for 2-3 hours in salt water, often with the addition of oil, after cutting the peel, then eaten hot. Usually they are eaten with some kind of gravy or as a side dish for fatty dishes, since the pulp of the peach palm is a bit dry. The pulp of the fruit is also added to bread products, a strong alcoholic drink is prepared from them. The pit kernels are edible and taste like coconut.
The soft core from the upper part of the trunk (palmetto), like some other types of palms, is eaten raw or used in various dishes, canned. It tastes like celery stalks. This part of the palm is consumed fresh or boiled, mixed with an egg and used as a filling for casseroles. Also, during the fermentation of palm sap, an alcoholic drink is obtained. Chicha beer is made from the fermentation of unsalted boiled purée of these fruits, sometimes mixed with plantain. The production of such a drink is prohibited in Costa Rica, with the exception of reservations where the Indians live.
Synonym: euterpe, euterpe.
Acai berries, due to their unique medicinal properties, are especially popular in the world. Euterpe or "Asaiseiro" is a tropical palm tree, the fruits of which are the famous Acai. They are used in medicine, cosmetology, cooking and other industries.
Ask the experts
In medicine
Acai berries are a universal remedy for the prevention and treatment of many common diseases. In addition to berries, locals use the bark, leaves and wood of the Euterpe palm. It is not for nothing that the natives call asaiseiro the “tree of life”, the elixir of health and longevity. Acai fruits are used to treat viral diseases, diseases of cardio-vascular system. Acai berry extracts are used in the manufacture of some pharmaceuticals. Regular consumption of Euterpe fruits can significantly increase the body's defenses, strengthen memory, and improve the general condition of the body. The fruits of the famous palm slow down age-related changes, withering of the skin of the face, give it a silky and healthy look, improve the functionality of the whole organism, are a natural inexhaustible source of energy.
Contraindications and side effects
Individual intolerance to berries is possible. Excessive consumption of Euterpe fruits can cause problems with the work of the heart, kidneys, liver, and disrupt the acid-base balance. Uncontrolled intake of berries can negatively affect blood glucose levels, increasing its amount, and lead to obesity.
In cooking
In Brazilian cuisine, açai berries take pride of place. They make wine, juice, liqueurs, delicious sauces and desserts. In the north of the country, palm fruits are often consumed with shrimp or salted fish. In the south of Brazil, a traditional dessert based on acai and granola (a mixture of ground oats, honey, nuts and rice) is especially revered. Berries are added to yogurt, pastries, salads. The juice and the acai fruit themselves are the main ingredients of the berry smoothie.
In cosmetology
Acai berry juice is successfully used in cosmetology. This is an excellent natural moisturizer used for the skin of the face, body and hair as an important component of masks, balms, creams. Acai oil is made from the seeds of the Euterpe fruit, but is rarely found on sale. At home, the oil is prepared by insisting acai berries in olive oil. This oil perfectly cares for the skin, rejuvenates it, moisturizes, removes fine wrinkles. Acai oil is used for various skin ailments: eczema, dermatitis, furunculosis, acne.
At home
Brazilians use açaiseiro leaves to cover their homes. Baskets, hats, brooms, galvanizing are made from the bark. Palm wood is suitable for building houses.
Classification
Euterpe or Euterpe (lat. Euterpe), or Acai (port. açai, açaizeiro), or the Cabbage Palm is a genus of tropical palms whose habitat is South and Central America.
Botanical description
Representatives of the genus are tall trees of a tree shape (up to 30 meters or more) with smooth and thin trunks. The leaves are a rich green hue, slightly pinnate. The flowers are white, collected in inflorescences-brushes. The fruit is a round, dark purple, almost black one-seeded juicy berry. The fruit, resembling huge bunches of grapes, gives the palm a special decorative effect. The berries are edible, tart in taste, slightly reminiscent of chokeberry, a little blueberry with an admixture of chocolate and nuts. Each bunch brings up to 5 kilograms of small, round fruits. Euterpe gives two crops a year. From one young palm tree, you can collect up to 8 kg of fruits, which are of particular value in the market, in agriculture Brazil.
Spreading
They grow in swampy and coastal areas, near the Amazon Delta (South and Central America). Belize is considered the northern border of the range of the palm genus, while Brazil and Peru are the southern border.
Procurement of raw materials
Acai fruits are consumed fresh. Juices and spirits are prepared from them. Berries are preserved by common harvesting methods: drying and freezing. Dry under direct sun exposure. Duration of storage of dried berries - no more than 2 years. Berries that are used after 2-3 hours after their collection lose most of their beneficial properties. Therefore, it is better to make juices, extracts and decoctions from acai immediately after harvesting the fruit.
Chemical composition
The composition of acai berries is unique because they contain about 3,000 different active minerals and vitamins. The fruits contain a large amount of omega fatty acids, proteins, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron. There are vitamins E, A, C, B1, B2, B3, K, a large percentage of antioxidant substances, carotenoids, flavonoids, tocopherols, fibers, plant steroids. Acai berries have twice the antioxidants of blueberries, 10 times more than grapes, and 33 times more than red wine.
Pharmacological properties
The era of popularity of the acai fruit began in 2004, when the book on nutrition by the American Nicholas Perricon was published. The scientist gave the fruits of this palm tree the first place in the list of products necessary for the health and longevity of people. As a result of many studies of the natives of the Amazonian tropics, it was revealed that the secret of their longevity and absolute health lies in the daily use of acai fruits. People live to a ripe old age, while they are distinguished by a sound mind and working capacity. Researchers were also surprised by the fact that local residents do not suffer from the burning sun, ultraviolet does not provoke the development of cancer.
Dr. Shaus scientifically substantiated the usefulness of the fruit of the tropical acai palm, studied its unique composition, in which he counted about three thousand useful substances for the normal functioning of the human body. The acai berry is recognized as the leader in the number of antioxidants and other active substances among known foods, leaving garlic, pomegranate, cranberries and blueberries far behind. Antioxidants can interfere with oxidative processes in cells human body leading to DNA damage and rapid aging. Tropical palm berries contain approximately 3,000 different vital minerals and vitamins.
The beneficial properties of acai berries (“Brazilian miracle”) are not fully understood. Researchers are convinced that the existence of the acai fruit provides a unique opportunity to use this natural gift in the fight against oncological diseases. Acai contains cyanidin, a special substance that can destroy cancer cells, while its negative effects on healthy cells are not noted. Euterpe palm fruits slow down age-related changes in the skin, provide silky and healthy looking skin, and are considered a natural source of energy.
The unique composition of the fruit contains 2 times more natural antioxidant substances than blueberries. Acai berries prevent oxidation processes associated with the formation of free radicals. The latter are the cause of the following diseases: Alzheimer's disease, asthma, diseases of the nervous system, cataracts, dysfunction respiratory system, diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson's disease.
Euterpe palm berries are very high in calories, rich in minerals and vitamins. Therefore, Monavi juices, consisting of acai fruits, are present in the diet of many known to the world athletes, and also found application for weight loss. It has been proven that the active components of acai berry juice develop muscle mass help to cope with high physical activity. As a result, subcutaneous fat is consumed for the necessary energy, thereby saving a person from unnecessary kilograms. Berries suppress hunger and reduce appetite.
Acai berries have unique properties. Their effectiveness has been proven in the treatment of serious diseases against which pharmaceutical preparations were powerless. The fruits have a delicate taste and delicate aroma, but are not suitable for transportation. Of course, medicinal properties fresh berries cannot be compared with acai berry extract in medical preparations, the effectiveness of which is several times lower than the fresh product.
History reference
Initially, the area of cultivation of berries was the Amazon region in the north of the country, but later acai palms were cultivated in other parts of Brazil. Today, 85% of all acai is harvested in the state of Para, where palm cultivation is an entire branch of agriculture.
The legend says that in one tribe of Indians a great grief happened: people were dying of hunger, and the leader ordered that every newborn be sacrificed. But the time has come and she gave birth to the daughter of the leader of the tribe named Iasa. After the murder of her baby, Iasa desperately prayed to the god of the tribe that the leader would choose a different way of sacrificing to the gods. One night a woman heard a baby crying. She left the dwelling and under the spreading branches of a palm tree saw her daughter. Approaching the baby, Iasa could not take her to her: the baby disappeared like a shadow. In the morning, the Indians found Iasa dead by a tree, on which were long bunches of small dark berries. The tribe was saved, and the tree itself was named after the unfortunate woman. The name acai took root - “iasa”, but read from right to left.
Acai berries have a lot folk names: Amazon gold, elixir of life and health, Amazon viagra, pearls of Brazil, miraculous berries of Brazil.
Application in traditional medicine
Locals use acai berries for many ailments. Palm fruits are recommended for diabetes, obesity, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, joint pain. Berry juice is effective for colds and flu because it contains a high level of ascorbic acid in its composition. Asai improve blood circulation and also serve as an excellent prophylactic iron deficiency anemia. The fruits are rich in fiber, which means they can improve the functioning of the digestive tract, and are successfully used for constipation.
Acai berries are the basis of rejuvenating face and body masks. This is an indispensable tool for hair: activating their growth, giving a healthy shine, eliminating brittleness. Berries cleanse the body of harmful cholesterol, unnecessary toxins and toxins, free radicals. Acai fruits help restore male sexual health if consumed fresh on a regular basis.
Literature
1. Euterpe // encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
2. Imkhanitskaya N. N. Palms / Ed. ed. A. L. Takhtadzhyan. - L .: Nauka, 1985. - 243 p. - 2350 copies.
The growth of the world's population requires more products. Vegetable oil is no exception. The world produces and consumes a huge amount of it. On the territory of Russia, sunflower oil is the most common - one of the types of vegetable oil. In addition to it, there are still several dozen varieties, all of which have a name according to the plant or fruit from which it is produced. The most popular include palm, soybean, rapeseed, olive and sunflower. Moreover, they differ in terms of world production and consumption, for example, palm oil occupies a leading position, accounting for 36%, soybean oil is in second place - 26%, rapeseed oil is in third - 15%, and sunflower oil is only in fourth, occupying 9 percent of the total. .
What is it made from
Palm oil is extracted from the fruits of the oil palm tree, which is native to West Africa. Her Latin name- Elaeisguineensis - translated as "olive" (elaion) and "Guinean" (guineensis). For the first time, mention of it is found in the records of merchants traveling the African continent, dated to the 15th century. Today, however, Indonesia and Malaysia have become the main suppliers of this natural product. It is not difficult to guess why - thanks to the perseverance and hard work of these East Asian peoples, and of course the local warm and humid climate. One third of the world's palm oil is grown and produced in these regions. In nature, palm trees can reach 30 meters, cultivated varieties - 15 meters. The tree begins to bear fruit at the age of 3-4 years. From one hectare of young palms, you can collect up to 3 tons of fruits, from mature plants - up to 15 tons. Plantation-grown palm trees yield 2-4 crops per year. The fruits of the oil palm tree, similar to plums, grow in whole seedlings - many thousands of "heaps" weighing from 25 kilograms.
What are the fruits of the palm tree
Looks like oil palm fruit similar to a plum or a date, under the pericarp of which there is an oily pulp, then follows a nut shell with an inner core (oil is also prepared from it - palm kernel).
What are the main types of oils made from the fruits of the oil palm
palm oil color directly depends on the color of the flesh of the fruit. It can have a wide color spectrum: from yellowish to dark red. Its scent is reminiscent of violets. After processing, including rectification (separation into components), bleaching and deodorization, it can be used in food. Basically, the refined product is used in the frying process, as a salad dressing. It is also one of the components in the preparation of ice cream, chips, "quick" cereals, chocolate, various bakery and confectionery products, sausages, mayonnaise, etc.
Palm kernel oil extracted from kernels very similar in characteristics to coconut, and is often used with / instead of it. The process of production and processing of this species is more complex and expensive. It is produced in smaller quantities and is valued more than usual. The scope of the palm kernel product is the production of high-quality expensive cosmetics and perfumes.
About useful and harmful properties
It's impossible not to say that there are types according to the degree of processing: raw, refined and technical.
The most expensive of them is the first - raw. But it does not occur with us. Unrefined palm oil contains a lot of vitamin E, provitamin A, carotenoids. it positive side product properties.
Its harm lies in:
- high content of saturated fats,
- high melting point, or refractoriness,
- low levels of linoleic acid.
If such a degree of benefit / harm possesses that has not been purified, then the refined benefit loses - that's for sure, and the harmful characteristics increase.
next view according to the degree of processing - technical. Most often, this type is used for the production of inexpensive cosmetics and technological lubricants. It is the cheapest. And therein lies the trick. Many food manufacturers add a technical variety to their production process in order to save money. There is no need to talk about its harmfulness. It is enough just to remember the raw product and increase it eleven times!
Buy or not buy products that include palm oil - everyone decides for himself.
What are palm trees? What types of palm trees grow on our Black Sea coast? Can they be grown at home? Which of them can be grown independently from seeds? Here we will try to answer these questions. To begin with - general information.
Palm leaves are characterized by pinnate and fan type. The leaves are spirally arranged on petioles. Flowers unisexual or bisexual. The fruits are a drupe or a nut.
Palm trees grown at home from seed, long time are in a rosette state, and only after the rosette reaches the required diameter, the stem begins to grow in height. This feature makes it possible to keep young palm trees grown from seed in room conditions. The following types of palms are most suitable for this: Canary date, capitate butia, sabal palmetto, low (squat) cameraops, thread-bearing washingtonia, Fortune's trachycarpus.
Canarian date
The Latin name is Phoenix canariensis Chahand. This plant is dioecious, evergreen. It develops like a tree, but more like a large wide bush 10-20 m tall, with a massive, unbranched false trunk, covered with the bases of old leaves.
AT open ground on the Black Sea coast, the palm tree reaches a height of 12-15 m. The leaves are large, up to 4 m. There are sharp needle-like spines along the edges of the leaf petiole.
This palm tree blooms in summer and autumn. Male inflorescences up to 2 m long, female inflorescences shorter. The fruit is ovoid, yellowish-brown, 2.5 cm long, with rough pulp, inedible. Propagated by seeds.
Date finger edible
The Canarian date should not be confused with the edible date, the palmate date (Phoenix dactylifera). Unfortunately, seeds extracted from the fruits of an edible date germinate poorly - after all, before the dates get to the consumer, they significantly lose their germination capacity. In addition, the temperature required for germination, 20-25 ° C, can only be maintained in greenhouses and greenhouses.
The city of Basra in southern Iraq is considered the world capital of edible dates. 420 varieties of this species are concentrated here. Arabic wisdom says that "the palm tree should stand in the water with its base, and drown in the hot rays of the sun with its top."
The date palm is a dioecious plant. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks hung several male panicles inside the crowns, pouring out pollen, since without artificial insemination, female specimens are fruitless.
Butia capitate
The Latin name is Butia capitata. This type of palm is native to Brazil. It grows in mountainous areas on sandy soils. The butia trunk has a characteristic capitate thickening at the base, gradually tapering upwards.
The emergence of new leaves begins in April and continues until the end of September. During the growing season, from 4 to 9 leaves are formed, and each lives up to 7 years.
The palm tree is beautiful with its openwork crown, lush inflorescences and fruits.
In the open ground Black Sea coast Butia of the Caucasus enters into flowering and fruiting from 10-12 years of age. Rarely blooms indoors.
In butia, the seed is rounded oblong, pointed at the ends, up to 20 mm long and 10 mm wide, with three distinct sutures. In the lower part there are three rounded pores, closed with loose corked tissue - this is the place where the embryo exits.
The seeds contain about 60% liquid coconut oil. Butia fruits are used for eating raw and for making jams and liqueurs.
Before germinating butia seeds, it is recommended to carry out their long-term stratification in wet sand or peat. Mechanical stratification is possible - sawing of seed coats or careful destruction of corky tissue with a sharp metal object.
Freshly harvested seeds germinate after stratification within 35-45 days. In some cases, the process can take up to 24 months.
Butia capitate is frost-resistant - it can withstand temperatures as low as -10°C. Drought-resistant. Grows well in sandy soils.
At room conditions, butia requires regular watering, and in summer the plant must be fed with flower fertilizers once every two weeks. For it, you should use the soil mixture for palm trees, sold in stores.
Sabal palmetto
This type of palm (lat. Sabal palmetto) comes from North America. Its single trunk in the open ground reaches a height of 20 m. The leaves are fan-shaped.
Inflorescences up to 2 m long. The fruit is a black globular drupe.
On the Black Sea coast, sabal palmetto blooms and produces viable seeds that usually germinate within four months.
Stratification at 35° (about one month) shortens germination time. soaking in hot water(about 90°C), and especially the removal of the cap over the embryo also accelerates seed germination. At home, young, not yet opened, leaves are used as food as vegetables, they are called “palm cabbage!”
Chamerops squat
The botanical name of this palm species is Chamaerops humilis. Came to Europe from Africa. Cultivated in greenhouses for over 300 years. This is a bushy palm tree with several trunks 2-3 m high, growing from a common base. In the Sochi arboretum of the Research Institute of Gorlesecology there are specimens with 7-10 or more trunks in a bush.
The palm grows slowly. During the summer it forms up to 7 leaves, which usually live for 7 years. Blooms in May-June. The fruit is a drupe, ripens in November-December.
The palm tree is drought-resistant, undemanding to the soil. Propagated by seeds.
Seeds in the pulp of the fruit do not germinate. After removing the pulp, they germinate within 2 months at room temperature. Removing the cap causes accelerated germination of seeds in 11 days.
Washingtonia filamentous or filamentous
The Latin name is Washingtonia filifera. She is native to southwestern North America. This is a very beautiful fan palm. The trunk in the homeland reaches a height of 30 m. The leaves are fan-shaped with delicate thin threads hanging between the leaf segments.
Inflorescences are compound. The flowers are bisexual with a strong smell. The fruit is an indehiscent drupe.
On the Black Sea coast, it blooms and bears fruit abundantly, the fruits ripen in December. This is one of the fastest growing palm trees.
Easily propagated by seeds. Germination 80-90%. At a temperature of 35 ° C in greenhouse conditions, seedlings appear on the seventh day. Under normal conditions - within a month.
This type of palm tree will look good in spacious rooms - halls, offices, greenhouses. Care is simple, but there is one feature - in winter it will feel more comfortable in cool conditions. If you cannot maintain the temperature in the room no higher than 20 ° C (preferably 15-18 ° C), then the dishes with the plant should be kept in a pan with water and sprayed daily. At high room temperatures and dry air, it can shed its leaves.
Seeds remain viable for up to 5 years.
Trachycarpus Fortune
This type of palm (lat. Trachycarpus fortunei) in its homeland, in China, Burma, Japan, grows up to 10 m. At the top of the trunk it forms a bunch of fan-shaped leaves, the petioles of which reach a length of 0.5 to 1.5 m. The flowers are unisexual, dioecious , collected in large paniculate inflorescences. The fruit is a drupe. Abundantly fructifies from 20 years. Blossoms in May, fruits ripen in December-January.
It is the most hardy of all fan palms.
It is undemanding to the soil. Easily propagated by seeds. Seeds germinate within a month.
Young plants at room conditions are recommended to be transferred once a year to larger pots. This accelerates their growth and makes it possible to remove rotten and dried parts of the root. All transplanting work must be carried out in the spring, at the beginning of the growing season.
Trachycarpus Fortune tolerates transplantation well in adulthood.
In many places on the Black Sea coast, it gives abundant self-seeding and runs wild.
What do we, the inhabitants of the middle latitudes, know about palm trees and their fruits? In our stores there are dates (already in the form of dried fruits) and coconuts. The latter we call nuts, although they are not. Botanists classify coconuts as berries. Thus, closer to a watermelon than a hazelnut, despite its hard shell. But there are other fruits of palm trees, in addition to coconut and dates. And also edible. Which? We will talk about them in this article. And by the way, bananas do not grow on palm trees, but are the fruits of perennial grass. These are tropical wonders.
Coconut palm
When the Portuguese first saw the berries of this tree, they had no doubt that it was a nut. The tasty fleshy core, hidden under a shell as hard as wood, attracted their attention. For the "shaggy" hairs on the fetus, the Portuguese dubbed it "coco" - "monkey". And so it happened: in English, the overseas berry began to be called coconut. And the name was translated into Russian literally: Scientists consider Malaysia to be the birthplace of the berry, from where the fruits, perfectly afloat, spread by sea currents throughout the tropical region. Why is the coconut palm called the universal nurse? Yes, because wood is a valuable material. Its leaves serve as roofing for huts. The fruit of the coconut palm at different stages of ripeness gives juice, milk, oil, tasty pulp. The farm even uses the hard shell of the “walnut”. Various products are made from it.
The fruit of the coconut palm: a universal "breadwinner"
"Hairy nuts" form the basis of the well-being of many residents of the Pacific region. When they are less than five months old, they have coconut juice inside. It is sour-sweet in taste and perfectly quenches thirst. Juice contains many nutrients. As it matures, drops appear in this liquid. The juice turns into milk. This fragrant, sweet emulsion is widely used in cooking, cosmetology and traditional medicine. Milk is left to "sour" - it turns out something like sour cream. They also make oil from it. During the period of maximum maturity, when the mass of the fruit of the coconut palm reaches one and a half to two kilograms, pulp is formed inside the shell. They scrape it off the walls and make a mass out of it. delicious dishes. Dried, it can be stored for years. This is the one we use for topping cakes.
Date palm
This short tree bears the scientific name Phoenix. Palm trees began to be cultivated in ancient times - in Mesopotamia, in the 4th millennium. In various regions, it gives hybrids, and not always with edible fruits. What we are accustomed to eating is the dried fruit of the Phoenix dactylifera palm. It is a squat shrub with feathery leaves that are metamorphosed into sharp spines at the base. The fruits are very high in calories (220-280 kcal per hundred grams). In addition, when dried, they can be stored and transported for a long time. In India, tari, a sweet wine, is made from the local Phoenix silvestris palm species. But the Robelin date from Laos, which gives black fruits, is grown as an ornamental indoor plant. In Europe on canary islands Phoenix canariensis Chabaud grows. This high - up to 15 meters - tree gives small amber fruits.
peach palm
The homeland of this high - up to 30 meters - tree is the jungle of the Amazon basin. Local Indian tribes have long cultivated this plant, since not only the fruits of palm trees are edible, but also the stem peeled from the bark. The leaves were used for roofing huts. The scientific name of the palm is Bactris gasipaes, and the popular name is "peach", because of the round pink-orange fruits. They certainly taste different from Mediterranean fruits. They hang in long bunches of hundreds of pieces. The fruit has a thin skin and a mealy, sweetish pulp. The stone is large, with a pointed top. The Indians boil the fruits in salted water for several hours and use them with sauce as a side dish, like we do potatoes. Local vodka is also prepared from the pulp. Since it is rather dry, it is ground and added to flour for various pastries. There is only one minus the peach palm. Harvesting a rich harvest is hampered by sharp, dagger-like black and long spikes in the upper part of the trunk.
seychelles palm
The fruit of the tree with the scientific name Lodoicea maldivica is truly a champion. When ripe, it reaches eighteen kilograms in weight, and its dimensions are impressive - more than a meter in circumference. The locals cannot complain about the crop failure either. One Seychellois palm brings about seventy such weights consistently. The fruit, however, ripens for six whole years. But don't wait so long! One-year-old fruits are eaten. It is at this age that the pulp has the consistency of jelly, because later it hardens and becomes strong, like ivory. This delicacy used to be highly valued. Europeans called this "nut" sea coconut (coco de mer) and paid big money for it. Seychelles palm fruit magical properties and was considered a panacea for all diseases. No less amazing is the tree itself. Unlike coconut palms, Seychelles stand unbendingly under a hurricane wind, like stone columns. And they begin to bear fruit only when they reach the age of a hundred years. When it rains, you can hide under the crown of the Seychelles palm tree, as if under the most reliable roof. The leaves of the tree form grooves-water traps. The streams of rain roll down to the cuttings at the trunk and then along it to the roots.
ginger palm
The name of the tree speaks for itself. Only here the taste is not the fruits of palm trees, but fibrous mealy husks. Although the poor strata of the population eat dryish bunches. This palm tree has one feature that distinguishes it from others. A tree can have three or four branches. Each of them ends with fan-shaped leaves, among which flowers appear. Not all of them turn into fruits, because ginger palm trees come in different sexes. Only female individuals give people clusters of shiny beautiful light brown fruits. In southern Egypt, this tree is called especially poetically - "dum palm".
Acai
The tree is native to the north of Brazil, the modern state of Para. Acai palm fruits are small, round, up to one and a half centimeters in diameter. Like figs, the berries come in two varieties: greenish and dark purple. They taste like raspberries or blackberries with a slight hint of walnut. But this is not what distinguishes the acai fruit from other palm berries.
They contain the same amount of protein as cow's milk. In total, a handful of small fruits can satisfy the hunger of an adult: the product has 182 kcal. High in them and the content of iron, vitamins B and E. At the same time, a very low level of cholesterol. Acai palm fruits are recommended for athletes, as they promote muscle regeneration, and are also prescribed for patients with anemia. They are eaten both fresh and cooked. Liqueurs and wines are made from fruits, and salads are made from kidneys.
Serenoa
This tree from Southeast Asia has other names. Most often it is called a dwarf or creeping palm. The tree brings berries 2-3 centimeters in size. Outwardly, the fruits of the creeping palm tree look like large olives. Seenoa berries are very useful.
