Palmito Assado

Dining on fresh hearts of palms is one of the true culinary delights of visiting the fazendas in the farm regions of São Paulo. If a guest is lucky, at one point during a weekend stay a freshly baked palm heart is served as a first course. The palm arrives on a platter atop a banana leaf, accompanied by melted butter, salt and pepper, and honey. I can only attribute the addition of honey to the Brazilian sweet tooth—it is equally delicious without. Fresh hearts of palm do appear on the shel