Palmyra fruit

Edible jelly seeds of Palmyra Palm

Fruits of Borassus flabellifer

Palm fruit sherbet

Palmyra is a fruit that grows on Palmyra palm.^[1] The fruit which 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.

In India

These seed sockets have been the inspiration behind certain sweets Sandesh called Jalbhara found in Bengal. In Tamil Nadu, it is called as Nungu (நுங்கு. Ice apple in Indonesia is called Buah Lontar or Siwalan.

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 palmyra fruit. These include Mustard oil fried Taler Bora, or mixed with thickened milk to form Taalkheer.

References