Toddy palm (Borassus flabelliferus) in Myanmar

[fruitlovers]

Right now i'm in central part of country of Myanmar. No durians or mangosteens around here. Plenty of toddy palm fruits (Borassus flabeliferus). There must be hundreds of thousands, probably millions growing around here. It is by far the most common palm, and one of the most common plants. They are used to make a drink called tanti. At first it is quite sweet and tasty but if you let it sit around for a day or longer it starts to ferment and becomes alcoholic. It's jokingly called jungle juice because it is the cheap way to get happy. The interior of the nuts taste somewhat similar to coconut jelly meat...very nice tasting. Every part of the palm is used. Even the roots can be roasted or boiled and eaten. (Haven't tried that yet.) The sap of the flower is also used for making a brown sugar, and also for making a hard liquor. Didn't see the fruits for sale in Yangon, but right outside of the city there were vendors with giant piles of them, where you could get the juice already in plastic bottles and the nut meat in little plastic bags:




The trees are slow growing but very long lived and productive. They can get about 40 feet tall and live 100-150 years. Some of the taller trees have bamboo ladders permanently attached for easy climbing and picking nuts.

[Mike T]

Oscar they are very common in Thailand as well and the street stalls in Bangkok often have them.In the drier bits like the north east the palms are everywhere and markets are loaded with them.In Thailand it seems it is the juice with lumps of jelly through it that commonly gets sold.
I am pretty sure there is also an inedible Borassus I can remember seeing all over the place in the okavango (botswana).The palms looked the same and the fruits were big but only the elephants ate them.

[tabbydan]

I didn't do any scientific census... but to me it looked like there were far more "toddy palm" in Burma than in Thailand (just as Oscar is suggesting).

It seems central and central/north Burma has become somewhat drier owing to human activity (cutting down the forest for agricultural fields...) and the toddy palm do quite well in those conditions.

I did see toddy palm fruits for sale inside Yangon in several locations (including just outside a Hindu temple where they were no doubt used as offerings).

I'd really like to try toddy palm fruits... but am always scared by how they are handled.  In more than one location I saw the seeds floating in buckets of water (which were undoubtedly not bottled water)... one of these days.

[bangkok]

The only drink from coconut i see in BKK is the juice (water) and meat from young coconuts. They are green or white when peeled.

I have never been in the north-east so i cannot tell what they grow there.

About unbottled water: i drink water from the tap here. That water has been stored in my stainless steel watertank for some days and then we drink it, i have never been sick in 10 years time.

After the flooding last year i bought a waterpurifiersystem with UV-light and that's what we drink now, chilled out of the fridge with ice from the same water.

Tooth brushing i still do with unpurified water. If you are not an experience asia traveller i would not recommend to drink tapwater though.

[fruitlovers]

I didn't do any scientific census... but to me it looked like there were far more "toddy palm" in Burma than in Thailand (just as Oscar is suggesting).

It seems central and central/north Burma has become somewhat drier owing to human activity (cutting down the forest for agricultural fields...) and the toddy palm do quite well in those conditions.

I did see toddy palm fruits for sale inside Yangon in several locations (including just outside a Hindu temple where they were no doubt used as offerings).

I'd really like to try toddy palm fruits... but am always scared by how they are handled.  In more than one location I saw the seeds floating in buckets of water (which were undoubtedly not bottled water)... one of these days.

Yes i've seen and eaten the toddy fruits at Chatuchak market in Bangkok on a previous trip. I've also eaten them in Southern India. But i think Tabbydan is right and Myanmar is Toddy palm king. You can see the thousands of rows of them flying into central Myanmar. I think the central plains here have been dry for a long time. I think the people here are just more fond of this plant and probably make wider use of it than elsewhere. That is just my guess to explain the millions of tody palm trees cultivated. BTW this is another plant that would grow in crappy soil. I don't know why it's so extremely rare in Hawaii. I think only a handful of serious palm collectors have it.
Mike, the only other Borassus species i know of is aethyopicum (sp?) and i think that one is edible also. They have trees of that species at Fairchild gardens in Florida.

[DurianLover]

Looks about 30% bigger compared to what I've seen in South India.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Hi Oscar,
They look freak'n awesome and big Funny, they remind me of eggplant with the hat

BTW where you able to find ripe Palmyra palm fruit to taste? Hope you were able

Here's a vid for fellow members to see...Ripe Palmyra palm fruit tastes like Mangifera indica
Uses for a Palm Tree - Ray Mears World of Survival - BBC

Thanks for sharing

[red durian]

Nice report.  My wife loves these fruits.  Now I have to take her to Burma.

[fruitlovers]

Hi Oscar,
They look freak'n awesome and big Funny, they remind me of eggplant with the hat

BTW where you able to find ripe Palmyra palm fruit to taste? Hope you were able

Here's a vid for fellow members to see...Ripe Palmyra palm fruit tastes like Mangifera indica
Uses for a Palm Tree - Ray Mears World of Survival - BBC

Thanks for sharing

Hi Steven, yes i did taste ripe palmyra fruits, both here in Myanmar and in India. Don't think it tastes anything like mango. To me it tastes a lot more like coconut meat.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Hi Oscar,
Great to hear you got to taste some ripe Palmyra palm fruits Oh snap, no indica flavour Ray Mears most probably was super high on mango, and said Toddy palm tasted like indica Atleast the fruit wasn't bland, cocomeat is awesome    

[Radoslav]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

[bangkok]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

You can grow it from seed if you like.

I googled about them and now i see that those brown coconutthings on the market are toddy palm nuts...

Do you want a whole one?

But also in Holland or Germany i can't find them on internet. I'm pretty sure though that some palm specialst sells them in Europe.

[fruitlovers]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

Rarepalmseeds has them. Not cheap though. And i have to warn you that germination rate is usually quite low. It's a difficult palm to grow as it puts out a very long tap root first before forming leaves. I have some growing here, but not fruiting yet.
http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/small.shtml#palms

[bangkok]

http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/pix/BorFla.shtml

When i read the reply's they say it is easy to get seeds sprouted.

[Radoslav]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

You can grow it from seed if you like.

I googled about them and now i see that those brown coconutthings on the market are toddy palm nuts...

Do you want a whole one?

But also in Holland or Germany i can't find them on internet. I'm pretty sure though that some palm specialst sells them in Europe.

I read that there are in fact 3 seeds inside one nut, so maybe if those seeds are small enough to travel inside big padded envelope without rising too many questions from customs, I could buy one seed if you will have it for sale.

[bangkok]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

You can grow it from seed if you like.

I googled about them and now i see that those brown coconutthings on the market are toddy palm nuts...

Do you want a whole one?

But also in Holland or Germany i can't find them on internet. I'm pretty sure though that some palm specialst sells them in Europe.

I read that there are in fact 3 seeds inside one nut, so maybe if those seeds are small enough to travel inside big padded envelope without rising too many questions from customs, I could buy one seed if you will have it for sale.

I asked my wife about those brown small coconuts and they are indeed toddy palm, i only know them peeled and packed.

But the ones at the market are not ripe enough she said , to grow the seeds they have to be older untill they fall from the tree. She is no expert though so if you find other iinfo then let us know.

If you want seeds from me then let me know but better have some more then one i would think. I have to buy a whole nut i guess but it has to be more ripe then the ones on the market and that will be hard to find i guess. Then she has to ask around to other Thai who grow those.

I have seen them many times laying under the marketstands but always wondered why they were so brown and small for a coconut. But i see loads of weird stuff so i didn't pay much attention to them. They taste nice, like a natural candy, sweet and chewy.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+toddy+palm

You need a large greenhouse though, i found out they grow around the corner here in the swamp.
Nobody picks their fruit there i guess but maybe those nuts float, i will see next time i pass them

[Soren]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

Rarepalmseeds has them. Not cheap though. And i have to warn you that germination rate is usually quite low. It's a difficult palm to grow as it puts out a very long tap root first before forming leaves. I have some growing here, but not fruiting yet.
http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/small.shtml#palms

Germination rate of Borassus aethiopum is usually very high; and here the fruit is knocked to split it so the 2-3 seeds can be separated. Takes forever to grow.

[bangkok]

I know it now, my wife is expert for those fruits.

When they are ripe and you can grow the seed the meat becomes yellow. The Thai smash them and mix it with flower to steam into nice cakes. I ate them a lot but never knew that it was toddy palm.

Ripe seeds you can't open anymore and when they are still white they can become candy.

[bsbullie]

I know it now, my wife is expert for those fruits.

When they are ripe and you can grow the seed the meat becomes yellow. The Thai smash them and mix it with flower to steam into nice cakes. I ate them a lot but never knew that it was toddy palm.

Ripe seeds you can't open anymore and when they are still white they can become candy.

Bangcock, I am amazed of the factual knowledge you, well, and your wife, have.  It is so vast you put all other members to shame.  You should really write a book,  It would be the best seller in the tropical fruit world.  You are my hero!!!

[Radoslav]

I know it now, my wife is expert for those fruits.

When they are ripe and you can grow the seed the meat becomes yellow. The Thai smash them and mix it with flower to steam into nice cakes. I ate them a lot but never knew that it was toddy palm.

Ripe seeds you can't open anymore and when they are still white they can become candy.

Thanks for info, now I have to think of it to find a way how to get the nut through customs without problems.

[fruitlovers]

I know it now, my wife is expert for those fruits.

When they are ripe and you can grow the seed the meat becomes yellow. The Thai smash them and mix it with flower to steam into nice cakes. I ate them a lot but never knew that it was toddy palm.

Ripe seeds you can't open anymore and when they are still white they can become candy.

Thanks for info, now I have to think of it to find a way how to get the nut through customs without problems.

Big problem because the seeds are huge and heavy, low germination, and super slow growing. The seeds are the size of small tea cup dish. It is a very nice looking palm, but takes super long to fruit. The fruits are delicious and real life savers as they grow in super arid regions where almost nothing else will grow.

[bangkok]

I know it now, my wife is expert for those fruits.

When they are ripe and you can grow the seed the meat becomes yellow. The Thai smash them and mix it with flower to steam into nice cakes. I ate them a lot but never knew that it was toddy palm.

Ripe seeds you can't open anymore and when they are still white they can become candy.

Thanks for info, now I have to think of it to find a way how to get the nut through customs without problems.

Oh i can get those seeds into europe since they are fruit and not tree's.
But did you see how tall they are? I bet your greenhouse is far too low 

We have loads of those palms in my area, they grow in the swamps but also in the middle of the lakes. I always wondered how that palm can grow in a lake and become so huge without falling. They are as high as a 4 floor building! If they really grow slow they must be very old. Soon they will all be gone since all land here is becoming villaparks. I pass them every day and some of them are dieing allready for some reason but they never topple over totally. They must have very strong roots that can grow underwater. They also grow in ricefields.
The lakes here have never been dry as far as i remember so they can grow in water. I saw monitor lizzards, snakes and so in those swamps so i won't go in that water, never ever haha but the poor people hang around there every day to fish or pick leaves from plants/tree's. They also swim in that water around the toddy palms.

https://www.google.co.th/search?q=toddy+palm+thailand&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=88kIVfL-M9GeugTt-oDQAw&ved=0CBsQsAQ

Here you see the cakes they make from them. My wife always bought them from grandma's on the street. For some reason they are always cooked by grandma's.

https://www.google.co.th/search?q=toddy+palm+thailand&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=-skIVY7wHo-gugT-n4L4Bg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAw&dpr=1

[bangkok]

This is around the corner. The land in front has just been raised but it all was a deep swamp filled with water for as long as i can remember since 5 years. Some of them are dieing in the area, i wonder why.

[bangkok]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHqACvvptBI

I just learned this palm is dieocious, so you need male and female tree's.

Also that nice brown palmsugar is made from this palm. This is a great video from thailand, petchaburi province.

[DurianLover]

Is there a chnace to buy this palm in Europe?

There are a lot more ornamental palms for your greenhouse. Why in the world you would pick this one???

[Coconut]

I enjoy Borassus aethiopum in Senegal from Thies Department all the way into the Gambia, East & West Africa.  Palm wines were delicious & knocked our asses; and our team of Merc black ops nearly got court martial for distilling it during the many R& R through the conflicts zones in the 1990's.  Moonshine from it makes the daily night fire fight more exciting.  I recalled one night the Rebels were just as drunk as us on toddy palm shine and & shot tracers at Us.  We dial in at 2,200 yards & send a few bud lights down & my spotter saw an explosion from the Rebels moonshine distillery torching a bunch of grouchy campers from their happiness.  Their sources of arm funding were fermented into the no moon night.

Next morning we visited the abandoned base, the armour they were using were cure toddy palm wood surrounding the still like fish scale tiles.  Once cure this west African toddy palm is heavy & sink in water and stronger than steel; you can actually see were my .50 round just deflected off, amazing wood.  Thank God I had a new Leupold mounted to make it through their snipers hole. Termite proof and the local Sereer tribe on the coast used them for making bow & the harden wood beleivable or not; they make arrow head out if it. 

The dried gelatin fruit seeds pounded were excellent mix when I made Pemmican with wild games, this were our bush MRE in many jungle campaigns.  If the gellatin seeds were too old they were too rubbery and not that tasty. We also enjoyed the very young fruit barely gelatinize inside, the young fruit pith inside were sweet nutty like coconut palms heart.  We try distillateling  the ripe toddy fruit, the ripe yellowish pith generate a strong liquor that have a smell of a Hippopotamus fart and diesel; but the flavors were remarkably intune with a Remi Martin XXO but fruity Landolphia  sharpness that kind of made your vision smart at first.  Your Toddy Palm make an excellent landscape plant for those with adequate space, some tree we climbed were 60-70 feet tall.  If you can't get the Asian try the African toddy; personaly as a landscape plant they are in my not so humble opinions must nicer & possibly more African Locusts attack resistant for your GreenHouse Radoslav!😄🌴🏡

[fruitlovers]

In central Myanmar (Burma) prectically everything is made out of Borassus palms. I saw furniture that looked like split bamboo, but when i asked i was told it was made from the sheaths of fronds of Borassus. Very versatile palm, just like coconut. But will grow where it is a lot drier than coconut can take. Grows in arid parts of India where the soil is hard as a brick.

[bangkok]

I enjoy Borassus aethiopum in Senegal from Thies Department all the way into the Gambia, East & West Africa.  Palm wines were delicious & knocked our asses; and our team of Merc black ops nearly got court martial for distilling it during the many R& R through the conflicts zones in the 1990's.  Moonshine from it makes the daily night fire fight more exciting.  I recalled one night the Rebels were just as drunk as us on toddy palm shine and & shot tracers at Us.  We dial in at 2,200 yards & send a few bud lights down & my spotter saw an explosion from the Rebels moonshine distillery torching a bunch of grouchy campers from their happiness.  Their sources of arm funding were fermented into the no moon night.

Next morning we visited the abandoned base, the armour they were using were cure toddy palm wood surrounding the still like fish scale tiles.  Once cure this west African toddy palm is heavy & sink in water and stronger than steel; you can actually see were my .50 round just deflected off, amazing wood.  Thank God I had a new Leupold mounted to make it through their snipers hole. Termite proof and the local Sereer tribe on the coast used them for making bow & the harden wood beleivable or not; they make arrow head out if it. 

The dried gelatin fruit seeds pounded were excellent mix when I made Pemmican with wild games, this were our bush MRE in many jungle campaigns.  If the gellatin seeds were too old they were too rubbery and not that tasty. We also enjoyed the very young fruit barely gelatinize inside, the young fruit pith inside were sweet nutty like coconut palms heart.  We try distillateling  the ripe toddy fruit, the ripe yellowish pith generate a strong liquor that have a smell of a Hippopotamus fart and diesel; but the flavors were remarkably intune with a Remi Martin XXO but fruity Landolphia  sharpness that kind of made your vision smart at first.  Your Toddy Palm make an excellent landscape plant for those with adequate space, some tree we climbed were 60-70 feet tall.  If you can't get the Asian try the African toddy; personaly as a landscape plant they are in my not so humble opinions must nicer & possibly more African Locusts attack resistant for your GreenHouse Radoslav!😄🌴🏡

So are these toddy palms the same or is one of them an african variety?

In my area i see them with 2 kinds of bark like on the pic (pic is from internet). Also i see them with the fishscale skin for the first some metres and then they have a smooth skin untill the crown.

[bangkok]

I found these unripe seeds on the market today to play with. Whole nuts were not availlable.

These were not chilled and inside the bad they had started to produce alcohol allready, at least i could smell it.

They were not as sweet as the dried ones who taste like candy. In fact they were bland and nothing special. My wife even can't make the cakes from them because she needs the whole nuts for that. The meat under the coconut shell is what they use for cake, well lesson learned.

I hoped the seeds would taste nice but they don't. As a desert in sweet coconutcream they tasted good anyway but i won't buy these fresh unripe seeds again.