A woman prepares ice apples to eat at a road stall in Myanmar, 2019.
| Photo Credit: Etan J. Tal (CC BY-SA)
Come the summer months, April through August, and the fruit market across India is replete with the fruit ice apple, called ‘nungu’ in Tamil, ‘munjulu’ in Telugu, ‘tadgola’ in Hindi, and ‘taal’ in Bengali. It is largely found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and in West Bengal.Once you peel its outer skin, you find an ice-like fruit (see image) that tastes delicious. The tree is a member of the palm trees, commonly called palmyra. It is a tropical tree, and fruit, found in India, Bangladesh, and parts of Southeast Asia. It is the State tree of Tamil Nadu. Botanists say it is a member of the Arecaceae family and its name is Borassus flabellifer. Published - May 29, 2026 07:30 am IST
