BOGURA, June 17: The jelly-like soft pulp of unripe palm fruit, locally known as tal shansh or talkhur, is becoming increasingly popular across Bogura district, with roadside vendors reporting rising demand during the peak summer season.
Sold at Tk 5 per piece, the translucent, tender pulp extracted from the inner kernel of young palm fruits is now a common sight at roadside stalls across the district.
Agriculture officials said the substance is not a separate fruit but the natural soft inner part of the palm seed during its early stage.
“This is the soft, jelly-like inner part of the unripe palm. It is not a separate fruit,” said a local agriculture official, adding that traditional use of ripe palm fruit for pitha (cake) preparation has declined due to rising costs and labour intensity.
He noted that preparing palm-based pitha involves multiple steps, including extracting pulp, mixing it with sugar or molasses, and cooking it over fire, making the process both time-consuming and expensive.
As a result, demand has shifted towards ready-to-eat tal shansh, which requires no preparation and is widely sold by seasonal vendors.
Farmers and orchard owners said the market preference has changed significantly in recent years. Faruk, a palm grower in Dupchanchia Upazila, said green palm fruits are now more profitable than fully ripened ones.
“People prefer the soft pulp inside green palms. So we sell them at the early stage instead of waiting for ripening,” he said.
Vendors in Bogura city said they collect green palm fruits from Dupchanchia, Adamdighi and Kahalu upazilas and transport them to urban markets.
They said a palm tree is usually purchased for Tk 600�"1,000 depending on yield, while transport costs add another Tk 800�"1,000 per batch.
Each palm typically contains two to three kernels, which are cut and processed into small pieces before being sold.
Despite the rising demand, vendors said the work is labour-intensive, as each kernel must be carefully cut to extract the pulp.
“We sell each piece for Tk 5. Customers often wait while we prepare it on the spot,” said a roadside vendor in the Bogura town.
Nutrition experts say palm pulp contains calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C, making it a seasonal natural food option during the hot months.
Sellers added that many customers place advance orders for 20 to 50 pieces, reflecting its growing popularity despite the manual effort involved in preparation.
