Costa Rican Superfood

If anyone here hasn`t tried the Pejebaye fruits here (same tree where hearts of palm come from–it is truly an amazing plant
According the the UN:
The use of B. gasipaes pre-Columbian times was complete. The fruit, its most important product, was used in two ways: cooked (boiled in water) and as a slightly fermented cool drink. In both forms, it constituted the basic food during the harvesting period in the indigenous communities which grew it. For consumption out of season, it was preserved mainly in ensiled form and prepared in a very similar way to today, with storage in trench silos made in the ground. One month after being covered over, it was ready for consumption or could be stored until the next harvest. This fermented material was consumed mixed with water as a cool drink. It could also be carried wrapped in leaves during journeys and merely had to be diluted in water for consumption. Another important form of preservation was drying the fruit, exposing it to heat and smoke and then placing it on mats suspended above a fire. To be eaten, it just had to be boiled in water. It was also eaten in the form of tortillas made from its dough, as with maize, or as farinha. The oil, which separates out when the fruit is boiled, was occasionally used for cooking other foods. Prolonged fermentation – lasting one week – enabled the alcoholic drink, chicha to be made for celebrating festive occasions. Thus, the fruit of each palm constituted a basic source of energy, replacing the functions and uses of grain in other cultures. It was especially significant as a substitute for maize, which it surpasses in nutritional value.

The wood of the trunk has great strength and elasticity which enabled it to be used to make weapons – bows, arrows and spears – as well as in construction. The apical section of the trunk, together with its embryonic fronds, is soft and has a delicate flavour; from this the palmetto or heart of the palm is extracted. The sap from this part of the trunk, either unfermented or fermented in various degrees, was used to prepare nutritional and intoxicating drinks.

The young inflorescences were also eaten roasted “the herdsman’s way”, without opening the protective spathe. Infusions of the roots were used in medicine as a vermicide.

Today, the Indians use the same basic products obtained from the peach-palm, which now produce a greater diversity of by-products, many of which are still being developed. Thus the wood is used to manufacture building materials such as parquet, panels, luxury furniture and handicraft items, taking advantage of its beauty and great strength. The long fibres on the inside of the trunk show promise for use in fibrecement products. Exploitation of the palmetto is a prosperous industry: having originated in Costa Rica in the 1970s, it is gradually gaining importance among the countries of the American humid tropics as a profitable crop and on account of its sound characteristics for ecological management, in accordance with new agronomic trends.

The fruit, which in the past was only important in its areas of production because it is very perishable, is now seen as having great potential through processing to form flours and other derived products such as oil, beta-carotene and starch. Tests are even being carried out to see if the trypsin inhibitor contained in the fruit of some cultivars can be used as an insecticide. Flours made from peach-palm have an important future in human nutrition, being consumed in confectionery, bread-making and other preparations. It also has a great future in animal feeding, as a substitute or supplement for grain, in the manufacture of concentrates and fermented as ensilage. Fermentation of the fruit is being investigated with a view to its exploitation in the manufacture of various organic compounds. Its possible medicinal use, as practiced by the Indians, has yet to be explored.