Ice Apple

Ice apple

Borassus flabellifer, the Asian palmyra palm, toddy palm, sugar palm, or Cambodian palm, Nungu, is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone. It is a palm tree, one of the sugar palm group.

The British named the Palmyrah fruit ice-apple. The tender fruit resembles ice. Scoop out the contents and drop it in a glass of tender coconut water.

In May, palmyrah fruits are a common sight.

Palmyra is a fruit that grows on Palmyra palm. The fruit measures 4 to 7 inches in diameter, has a black husk, and is borne in clusters. The top portion of the fruit must be cut off to reveal the three sweet jelly seed sockets, translucent pale-white, similar to that of the lychee but with a milder flavor and no pit.

The jelly part of the fruit is covered with a thin, yellowish-brown skin. These are known to contain watery fluid inside the fleshy white body. These seed sockets have been the inspiration behind certain sweets Sandesh called Jalbhara found in Bengal.

The ripened fibrous outer layer of the palm fruits can also be eaten raw, boiled, or roasted. Bengali People have perfected the art of making various sweet dishes with the yellowish viscous fluidic substance obtained from a ripe palm fruit. These include Mustard oil fried Taler Bora, or mixed with thickened milk to form Taalkheer.

Uses and Health Benefits of Ice-apple:

1.Palm seeds are considered as a delicacy in India and other asian countries where the Palmyra trees are grown. During early summer, they are sold in markets and for a limited period of time. Summer holidays are enjoyed by preparing different types of drinks, pancakes and dishes prepared from the nutritious pulp.

2. The tender fruit pulp is eaten raw during summer because it gives a cooling effect to the body. The ripened fibrous outer layer of the fruit can be eaten raw, boiled, or roasted.

3. The fruit contains vitamin A, B and also Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid.

4. It is rich in minerals too. Minerals such as Potassium, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorous and Zinc are found in the fruit.

5. The studies conducted recently to know more about this fruit have given satisfactory results. If the Palmyra trees are grown in large scale commercial farms, it could help solve the world’s malnutrition problem.

6. In some Asian stores they are found in cans but usually they are canned in sugar syrup. Due to the sugar syrup it becomes too sweet.

7. The fresh ones are little crunchy and moderate sweet to taste. They are chopped to small pieces and used in desserts with other variety of fruits like Pineapple, Mangoes, Papaya and offered along with some good flavored ice cream.

8. Matured palm fruit juice is used in making pancakes.

9. The seed sockets of Ice-apple have been the inspiration for some sweets prepared in West Bengal. One such sweet is Jalbhara Sandesh.

10. Its medicinal uses are still unknown to people. The pulp from the mature fruit is used over the skin to cure Dermatitis.


Read more about Ice apple
Read more about Ice apple
Read More at Wikipedia
Read More at Wikipedia