Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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.
You can see some glimpses of our wonderful world at Our World Tuesday.

15 comments:

  1. Like you, I cannot keep my shutter finger still when I see these wonders of creation.

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  2. Great post and story!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  3. Great post. It's nice to learn something new while seeing lovely photography. Thanks!

    Linda, Georgetown, Canada

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  4. Wonderful post and capture for the day as always! And, as always, I do enjoy the information you include! It's to learn something new every day! Hope your week is going well!

    Sylvia

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  5. The tree is similar to what we have in our front yard. Thank you for the beautiful photo and information.

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  6. Such a pity to have stopped the brewing of the toddy sap

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  7. This looks like one we have in our back yard. I wonder if it is the same.

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  8. Interesting name for a palm. I am now following your blog.

    T is for ...
    Hope to see you.

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  9. Your photo reminds me of south korea.

    T is for ...
    Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

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  10. I love the orange drupes - it makes a palm look spectacular! In Indonesia where I was bor,n they have sugar made from the palm -is that the sugar you're talking about?

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