Palm cheese (heart of palm): Souvenir of Iran’s Bushehr

The lesser-known delicious souvenir of Bushehr is the palm cheese.

Palm cheese, which native people call it Ghap, is a crispy, sweet and tasty and white cheese that is actually the middle part of the palm tree.

In addition to Bushehr, it is produced in Jahrom and Hormozgan.

The palm tree, unlike other trees that dry out from the roots, will die if its head is damaged. To obtain date cheese, the crowns of old and male palms, which are no longer harvested, are cut off or, as the locals say, killed.

Then, the leaf-shaped layers are removed and opened to the white, soft and tasty kernel that is popular for its low cholesterol.

Each palm tree produces between 3 and 10 kilograms of cheese that contains minerals, iron, fiber, vitamins and calcium.

This souvenir is one of the most expensive souvenirs in Bushehr.  

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