Veggie Palm Pasta

Introduction

Pasta is one of the world’s most popular dishes. It is a convenient and versatile dish that goes well even with a simple sauce. The regular pasta we eat made from semolina is completely refined flour. It has no calories but it has no health benefits and is not good for health as well. Palm pasta can substitute for semolina pasta. It is made from the heart of a palm that is obtained from the buds and cores of palm trees. It is claimed to be 100% edible and nutritious when cooked tastes similar to regular semolina pasta and resembles their texture and appearance. People recognize its taste as slightly similar to an artichoke. It is produced in different shapes like spaghetti, sheets, angel hair and fettuccine. It can be easily cooked within minutes and the extra cooking time isn’t needed. It is a good choice for a low-carb diet like the keto diet, it is paleo-friendly and gluten-free. Palmini and Natural heavens are popular brands of palm pasta.[2][3][5]

Nutritional Facts

The heart of palm tree vegetable contains 90% water, high in fiber and it contains very few calories. 75 grams of serving offers 15-20 calories only. It provides 4g of carbs per serving. Regular semolina pasta contains gluten while palm pasta is gluten-free. It contains no sugar, making it a suitable food for even patients with diabetes. Palm pasta is enriched with good amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B6 and minerals- potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc. It also adds some protein to your diet. It can fulfil 10% and 26% daily recommended intake of potassium and Sodium. Palm pasta is also easier to digest compared to semolina pasta.[4][5]

How is it made and consumed?

The palm core is cut into long shapes, while processing, some salts are added and are dried and packed in a can or jar. Palm pasta is packed with vacuum packaging technology and is ready to eat. The noodles should be first drained to remove the excess liquid. There is no necessity to cook it can be just heated in a pan with the sauce, oil, and pepper and served. [3][4][6]

Different forms of palm pasta

• Lasagna- Palm pasta comes in the form of sheets called lasagna sheets that are used to make lasagna with noodles with a combination of vegetables and sauce
• Spaghetti- thin long cylindrical palm pasta. It holds the perfect shape of regular semolina noodles
• Rice- Palm pasta comes in the shape of white and brown rice, which can be prepared with meat or vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli. This rice with some vegetables can be a good recipe for the keto and paleo diets.
• Angel hair noodles- Palm pasta is also available in angel hair form, also called capellini a very thin long variety of pasta. This variety of palm pasta makes the best combination with meat.[1][2]

Benefits of Palm Pasta

• Gluten-Free- It is grain-free noodles  It is not made from wheat or wheat products. It is completely made from the heart of a palm tree. It is an ideal food for individuals having allergic reactions or intolerance towards glucose and celiac disease.
• Low carb- It is low in carb. It offers just 4g of carbs per serving. This makes it keto friendly.
• Low Calorie- It has low calories, 15-25 g per serving. It doesn’t add much to your weight and can be consumed by people with obesity as well.
• Vegan food- It is 100% vegetarian and the best food for people who love veggies. Although it has very low calories, the fiber content adds bulk and the stomach stays full for hours.
• Convenient – It is easy to cook, unlike semolina pasta, which is ready to eat. Can be prepared instantly by heating. This saves cooking time and fuel. Monitoring in order to prevent softening or charring is not needed as there’s no need to cook. It tastes good with any variety of sauce whereas other vegetable pasta doesn’t complement well with different varieties of sauce.
• Appearance- It has a slightly yellow hue, and resembles the color and texture of the pasta of wheat flour. It holds the perfect shape of a noodle when cooked and has a springy texture. It doesn’t have a rubbery texture like the other plant-based pasta. The spaghetti of the palm has a soft and pleasant texture.
• Flavor and smell- It has a very pleasant, mild taste. Its taste is slightly similar to artichoke and not overwhelming. When cooked, it doesn’t produce any unpleasant chemical odor. [1][2][5]

At present, very few brands are working on palm pasta. In India, palm pasta is available in online stores. Palmini and Natural heavens are popular brands of palm pasta. Natural heavens palm pasta doesn’t require rinsing, it is easier to prepare and its texture resembles real spaghetti pasta. Palmini requires an extra step, the pasta must be rinsed before serving it with sauce. Its texture is slightly crispy compared to the natural heavens. It is a healthier substitute for semolina pasta and is diet-friendly.[1][5]

References:

1.SELF. 2022. What Are Hearts of Palm Noodles? Here’s Everything You Need to Know. [online] Available at: <https://www.self.com/story/heart-of-palm-noodles/amp> [Accessed 7 August 2022].

2.Ketofocus. 2022. Hearts of Palm Pasta – The BEST Keto Noodles. [online] Available at: <https://www.ketofocus.com/recipes/hearts-of-palm-pasta/> [Accessed 7 August 2022].

3.TODAY.com. 2022. We tried Trader Joe’s super popular Hearts of Palm Pasta. Here’s our honest review. [online] Available at:

<https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.today.com/today/amp/tdna241219> [Accessed 7 August 2022].

4.2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.thekitchn.com/trader-joes-hearts-of-palm-pasta-review-23326272?amp=1> [Accessed 7 August 2022].

5.The Manual. 2022. WTF is Heart of Palm Pasta and Why Should You Try It? | The Manual. [online] Available at: <https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/what-is-heart-of-palm-pasta-noodles/> [Accessed 7 August 2022].

6.Food with Feeling. 2022. Simple Hearts of Palm Pasta. [online] Available at: <https://foodwithfeeling.com/hearts-of-palm-pasta/> [Accessed 7 August 2022].