Book of Days Tales

The Sunday before Easter Sunday is called Palm Sunday because according to the Synoptic Gospels, on this day Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph on a donkey, and his followers threw palm leaves at his feet. This day marks the beginning of Holy Week. When I was an active pastor I made sure that everyone coming into my church was given a palm frond when they entered, and during the hymns they had to wave them high – especially when singing Hosanna.

The obvious ingredient for a dish for Palm Sunday is hearts of palm, which are fairly readily available in supermarkets in Europe and North America – but, not so much in Asia. I went to my fav Aussie store in Phnom Penh this morning and could not find them. Artichoke hearts, yes, palm, no.  I can still give you directions.

Easiest salad is sliced palm hearts sprinkled with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.  If you like you can mix in bamboo shoots and water chestnuts – even artichoke hearts. If you want to be more adventurous there are numerous recipes online for baked hearts of palm with cheese, and so forth. Not for me. Their taste is delicate and is easily swamped with more potent flavors.