Palmyra sprout
Palmyra sprout (also known as Palmyra Tuber)[1] is a sprout that grows on Palmyra palms or Borassus flabellifer. The germinated seed's hard shell is also cut open to take out the crunchy kernel, which tastes like a sweeter water chestnut. It is called "dhavanai" in Tamil. The white kernel of the ripe palm fruit after being left for a few months has got its uses.[2] It can be dried or boiled to form Odiyal, a hard chewable snack.it can be used by the sugar patients.
It is used as an offering in Lakshmi Puja in various parts of Bengal and is also eaten raw. It is popular among women and girls in India.
Terms
In the states of Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, India, and in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, the seeds are planted and made to germinate and the fleshy stems (below the surface) are boiled or roasted and eaten. It is very fibrous and nutritious, known as Panai Kizhangu or Panamkizhangu in Tamil and Thegalu or Gaygulu or Gengulu (especially in Andhra pradesh and Telangana areas) in Telugu.
References
- ↑ Commercial Crops Technology. New India Publishing. 2007. ISBN 9788189422523.
- ↑ Ferguson, William (1850). The Palmyra Palm, Borassus Flabelliformis: A Popular Description of the Palm and Its Products, Having Special Reference to Ceylon : with a Valuable Appendix Embracing Extracts from Nearly Every Author that Has Noticed the Tree. Observer Press. p. 91.