Palmyrah (Borassus flavallifer) palm is perhaps the most under-utilized and backline fruit among those belonging to the ‘Palm family’. The fruit is abundantly available in the country side areas but couldn’t sustain in the regular fruit markets, unlike the other fruits of the family palmae such as the coconut, arecanut, date palm, etc. Palmyrah palm, popularly known as “Toddy palm” is a drupe containing 2n =36 number of chromosome. The toddy palm fruits are formed in regular clusters developed into big roundish balls, weighing about an average weight of 2 kg. The trees are exceptionally taller which creates hindrance to the manual harvesters and also blemishes the senescent fruits dropped from the plants. Usually the people dwelling in tribal localities or semi-urban areas exploit great privileges out from the palm products frequently throughout the year for domestic consumption as well as small sales.
The palm fruit has a fascinating characteristic of having acquired multiple edible forms of the fruit with correspondence to its developing stages. All of them are uniquely palatable and differ in both physical forms and textures from one another. Apart from the raw consumption, Palmyrah fruit is a huge contributor of extensively prepared sugar-based products such as Neera (a delicious drink), palm jaggery, palm sugar, palm candy, etc., which are exceptionally sweet in taste with distinct flavors.
At tender stage, toddy palm fruits are light green in color and shiny from the periphery. The fruit exocarp gradually turns black as it ripens with its stalk end covered with yellowish green caps of about 5 to 8 in numbers. The unripe matured fruits, if cut into halves, the translucent jelly-like lobes filled inside sockets, usually three in number in a single fruit is revealed. These are nothing but the developed embryo and endosperms of the fruit which is composed of nearly 80% water along with sugar and some vital mineral compounds. This is perhaps the reason behind the fruit acquired the name of “Ice- apple” in many regions. The succulent locules are covered with a thin layer of white testa that should be removed off while consuming or else it imparts a bitter taste to the fruit. In course of development of the fruit, the icy succulent locules acquire a milky white cork-like spongy texture. However, the size of the locules is retained even after the development. A hard woody endocarp is formed at this stage that surrounds the succulent parts that are consumed at the last stage.
Moreover, the mesocarp of the fruit gets filled with thick juicy golden yellow sap having distinct flavor and aroma, thus rendering the fruit to have attained its utmost maturity. There is a simultaneous conversion of the epicarp or rind from light green to orange and eventually into dark brown or black colour. This is the significant stage where toddy palm encounters the highest exploitation and preferably it is so called as well. Most often, the ripen fruits are not harvested and left for senescence. The villagers believe that the fruit imparts better taste when drops naturally. The statement being a myth is refuted by the fact that the fruit must have obtained cent percent assured maturity along with highest sugar and pulp with maximum softness after its natural falling.
Unfortunately, the fully ripened fruits generally get ruptured on striking the ground from a larger height. However, these are later on picked up randomly by the local people and carried to their homes for pulp extraction. In fact, this is actually the material that the consumers awaited for. Irrespective of its demand in the urban markets, the toddy pulp seems to be no less worthy than a gold fluid to the local regular exploiters. Therefore, the golden pulp from toddy, after extraction from its bulky fibres is probably utilized in various ways. A large portion of the pulp is cooked for the manufacture of jaggery and sugar crystals and the rest is used in preparation of home-made stuffs like buns, cakes and sweets along with rice-flour or corn-flour as supplements. Due to high sugar content in the fruit pulp itself, usually lesser amounts of the same is involved from external source during the process of preparation. Popular food recipes of cakes, locally called as “Pitha” are prepared out of toddy palm pulp, made into a batter along with the use of grated coconut stuffing followed by steaming or deep frying.
Right after extraction of the pulp, the hard kernels i.e. the woody endocarps with a blanket of ciliary fibers is left out which is usually washed and sun-dried for about 15 to 25 days rather than being disposed of. Interestingly, this kernel holds in the soft endosperm which is prominently observed when the hard kernel is spitted into halves after the excessive moisture is lost out. This again turns out to be another edible matter which can be assumed as the non-emerged sprouts of the seed and is also considered as the store house of large number of vital nutrients. The soft corky texture, along with milky white color and sweet pleasant taste makes it a perfect choice for fruit lovers. This palm endosperm is an essential component of fruit salads and custards.
Palmyrah palm is perhaps the only fruit having more number of processed food recipes made out of it in comparision to its direct consumption. Existence of the strong flavor and aroma makes the fruit inelegant for direct consumption. However, sweet lovers can resist with few slices of it. Although, facts pertaining to the stages and forms of consumption of the fruit are usually observed to be non-descriptive in texts and encyclopedias, it is as significant as other aspects of it, for the reason being it carries vast comprehensive touches on the peculiar stages of development, their broad utility and consumers’ acceptance of the fruit.
Bimal Prabhat Dash
Master in Horticulture, Fruit Science
bimaldash.ar@gmail.com
