Ice apple, known as talsas or taal shaansh in Bengali and talasaja in Odia, is a refreshing, jelly-like summer fruit from the palmyra palm tree (Borassus flabellifer). Available mainly from May to June, it acts as a natural body coolant with a taste similar to sweet, tender coconut, offering high water content, vitamins, and minerals. Borassus flabellifer, commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala or tal palm, toddy palm, lontar palm, wine palm, or ice apple, is a fan palm native to South Asia (especially in Bangladesh, East India, and South India) and Southeast Asia. It is reportedly naturalized in Socotra.
*Dr. Dhrubo Jyoti Sen (2026) studied this question.