Neera

Neera, also called sweet toddy or palm nectar, is a sap extracted generally before sunrise from the inflorescence of various species of toddy palms and used to quench thirst. It should not be confused with the juice made from palm fruit. Neera is sweet, oyster white in colour, translucent, high in nutrititional value, and susceptible to natural fermentation at ambient temperature within a few hours of extraction. Once fermented, Neera becomes toddy. Neera is widely consumed in India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

The drink is popular on account of its high nutritive value, delicious taste and agreeable flavor. Its production requires neither mechanical crushing, as in the case of sugarcane, nor leaching, like beet-root; it is obtained by slicing the spathes of the coconut, sago, and Palmyra (Borassus flabellifer L.) palm, and scraping the tendermost part, just below the crown.