Ice Apple Fruit: Refreshing Summer Fruit of India

Mention this fruit, Ice Apple during winters, it will definitely sound out of season. Ice Apples are summer fruits. It is refreshing and full of health benefits. You will find them in roadside markets and small shops but never in departmental stores. It is a seasonal fruit, locals set up small shops during summers.

During my road journey through Chettinad in May 2014, when the summer was at its peak, I spotted this woman selling the edible jelly seeds of palm fruit. The white kernel can be eaten raw. It is juicy and has a light sweet taste. Gulping down a few of them soothed and cooled my mind and body completely.

Ice Apple fruit is also known by the names: the Borassus Flabellifer, the Asian Palmyra Palm, Palmyra, Toddy Palm and Sugar Palm.

The lady tried to remove these jelly seeds from the ice apple fruit carefully without slashing them. The way she was wielding the big knife to carve out the soft seeds was amazing. Her children were assisting her in her work. She tried to keep the place as neat as possible, but then the flies seemed adamant.

Thursday Challenge: Fruit

Meet her children here:

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Ice Apple Summer Fruit

Ice Apple Summer Fruit

Ice apple is a low-calorie fruit providing 43 calories per 100 grams ,11 grams of carbohydrates and rich in calcium and phytonutrients. It also contains a minimal amount of fibre, protein, vitamin C, A, E, K, B7 and iron which confers you with a host of healing health benefits.

Ice Apple Tree

Ice apple fruits grow in palm trees, taal gaach, as it is known in Bengali. Ice apple tree had fascinated Nobel Laurate Rabindranath Tagore so much that he had written a beautiful children’s poem based on it. Read here: Taal Gachh, the Palm Tree

Some of the benefits of ice apple are:

Ice apple acts as an excellent coolant and naturally cools the body in the summer and regulates the body temperature. It quenches the thirst and provides energy to stay active throughout the day. Ice apple is packed with good amount of minerals sodium and potassium which helps in maintaining the fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. This property of ice apple works best in preventing dehydration fatigue in summer. It is a natural remedy for several stomach ailments and digestive issues, ice apple helps in relieving constipation and promotes bowel movements.

Ice apple relieves acidity and stomach ulcers. Ice apple eases minor stomach ailments and nausea that often occur during pregnancy. The presence of several phytochemicals in ice apple possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial in slowing down the process of ageing and reducing the risk of health problems such as heart disease and cancer.

Skin problems such as heat rashes and prickly heat are very common in summer. Applying the flesh of ice apple on the affected areas relieves the itchiness and provides a soothing effect. Ice apple is loaded with potassium and helps in cleansing the toxins out of the body and promotes the liver health. A low-calorie watery fruit ice apple is an ideal deal to lose weight. The presence of water keeps you satiated for a long time and help in losing the weight naturally.

Caution: Just a word of caution- overripe ice apples may cause stomach aches. The fruit is highly perishable and should be consumed within a day.

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