Indian Date Palm

The Sylvester Palm Phoenix sylvestrs is found growing wild outside the city.It is also called the Toddy Palm. In this season, the trees are full of orange drupes, which are relished by birds. Ten years ago you could have seen mud pots tied to the top of the trees to collect the sap, from which a toddy was brewed. There is a proverb in Kannada, "Don't drink buttermilk under a Sylvester palm"! People would then take you for a drunk.  These days, people prefer the cheap branded liquors, and the toddy brewing has vanished.
The sap is also used to make a delicious sugar called taler gud.Making this sugar is a major cottage industry of Bangla Desh.
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