Ice Apple: One of India’s summer favourite fruits and 5 must-try refreshing ‘tadgola’ recipes for scorching heat

Does the king of fruits rule the season? When summer arrives, mangoes take over: sweet, pulpy, sticky. Milkshakes, aamras, desserts, and a list of recipes are endless. But there’s another fruit quietly stealing the show. Tadgola, also called ice apple or nungu, might just be India’s unsung hero of heat. The texture of the fruit is translucent, wobbly, and juicy, which is hidden in the hard, brinjal-coloured shell of the palmyra palm fruit. Low in calories, packed with water, it might be just what you need when the sun scorches the streets, offering natural cooling relief and refreshing hydration during India’s long, sweltering summer days.

The fruit is soft, slippery, and a little tricky to hold. Peel it carefully, or it slips right through your fingers. There are various names being given to this fruit in different states, such as in Tamil Nadu, it’s nungu, Maharashtra calls it tadgol, and Bengal has taal. Everywhere you go in India, it has a slightly different name. Yet the taste seems universally adored. Lychee-like texture, which tastes sweet and slightly coconutty.
Tadgolas are just the start. After the monsoon, the fruit ripens. The soft jelly centre hardens, fibrous flesh develops, and seeds appear. Bengal and Orissa celebrate this stage. Each stage has a purpose. It’s like the fruit has its own calendar, with uses mapped to seasons.

Tadgolas, or ice apples, are mostly eaten in summer because of their high water content and natural cooling properties. The fruit is about 90–95% water, so it hydrates you quickly and helps your body cope with the heat.
Also, the palmyra palm fruit itself ripens just before or during summer, so the soft, translucent ‘ice apple’ stage is only available for a few months. By monsoon, the fruit matures, the centre hardens, and the pulp becomes fibrous, so the cooling, jelly-like ice apple isn’t as abundant.
Since summer is here, we have listed a few cool and refreshing ice apple recipes you can try.

Ingredients:
5 ice apples
1 cup chilled water or coconut water
2 tsp sugar or jaggery syrup
A few mint leaves
Lemon juice (optional)
Process:
Peel and scoop out the ice apple jelly. Blend it with chilled water or coconut water. Stir in sugar or jaggery syrup, and throw in a few mint leaves if you have them. A squeeze of lemon juice can add a nice tang, but it’s optional.
Strain the drink if you prefer a smooth texture. Pour into glasses, maybe add a mint sprig for flair, and serve immediately.

Ingredients:
6 ice apples
1 cup full-fat milk
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vermicelli or rice (optional)
Cardamom powder
Chopped nuts (cashews, almonds)

Process:
Chop the ice apple jelly into small cubes. Boil milk in a pan, add sugar, and sprinkle a little cardamom. If you like, toss in some vermicelli or a few grains of rice; they soak up the milk and give a thicker texture.
Once the milk mixture is ready, fold in the ice apple cubes and simmer for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped nuts.

Ingredients:
4–5 ice apples
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup orange juice or coconut water
Ice cubes
Process:
Peel the ice apple and scoop out the jelly, and put it in a blender with a ripe banana. Add some orange juice or coconut water, and a little honey if you like it sweeter. Blend until smooth.
If you want it extra cold, toss in some ice cubes and give it a quick pulse. Pour into glasses, and you have a naturally refreshing smoothie that might just beat the heat better than anything else.

Ingredients:
6 ice apples
1 cup milk
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp agar-agar powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
Nuts for garnish (cashews or almonds)

Process:
Soak agar-agar in a little water for 5 minutes. Heat milk and sugar in a pan, add agar-agar, and stir until it dissolves completely.
Peel ice apples, chop them into small pieces, and mix them into the milk. Add vanilla essence, pour into moulds, and chill for 2–3 hours. Garnish with nuts and serve cold.

Ingredients:
5–6 ice apples (nungu/tadgola)
1 cup chilled milk
2 tsp sugar or honey (adjust to taste)
A pinch of cardamom powder (optional)
Ice cubes (optional)
Process:
Peel the ice apples and scoop out the translucent jelly. Toss the jelly into a blender with chilled milk and sugar, and maybe a pinch of cardamom if you like that flavour. Blend until smooth.

Pour the drink, and if it’s a scorching afternoon, add a few ice cubes.