Chamaedorea tepejilote

Chamaedorea tepejilote Pacaya palm
Pacaya palm (Chamaedorea tepejilote) taken at Atitl´na Lake in Guatemala
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Chamaedorea
Species:	C. tepejilote
Binomial name
Chamaedorea tepejilote Liebm.[1]

Chamaedorea tepejilote, also known at the pacaya palm, is a species of Chamaedorea palm tree found in the understory of the forests of southern Mexico, Central America, and northern Colombia.^[2]

Edible inflorescence of the pacaya palm (with other flowers)

The immature male inflorescences of the plant are considered a delicacy in Guatemala and El Salvador. The unopened infloresences resemble an ear of corn in appearance and size.^[3] Indeed, the word tepejilote means "mountain maize" in the Nahuatl language and was selected because of this resemblance.^[2] (Castillo Mont and his co-authors suggest that "pacaya," the common name for both the plant and its edible flower could be derived from the volcano of that name.^[2])

Pacaya has a somewhat bitter taste, although less so in cultivated varieties.^[2] It is eaten in salads (especially fiambre, a salad traditionally eaten in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead) or covered in egg batter and fried. The latter dish is called "rellenos de pacaya," and is often served with tomato sauce, like chiles rellenos.

References