Palmetto Pickle

The state tree of South Carolina, the cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), can be processed into one of the distinctive prepared foods of the Lowcountry, palmetto pickle, a relish made of the crown, or cabbage, and heart of the palmetto. “This cabbage is the terminal bud, or heart, and consists of the thin, white, succulent, embryonic leaves, which overlap each other in brittle flakes sweet to the taste and having the delicate flavor of almonds. After boiling in soft water until quite tender, it is dressed with olive oil or melted butter, or with a rich, velvety mayonnaise, and constitutes a dish which no epicure would scorn. Cut in cross sections of an inch in thickness, or in fancy shapes, and treated with a good vinegar and spices, it makes a delicious pickle” (1911).