Come wintertime, the sight of tappers perched up date palm trees to fasten earthen pots becomes all too common in rural BangladeshTappers look forward to winter all year round as their skill -- climbing date palm trees and shaving barks off the topmost part of the trunk to let the sap ooze out -- becomes highly sought after. The quantity and quality of sap that flows out when the temperatures drop are the most-preferred, so the sight of tappers perched up date palm trees to fasten earthen pots becomes all too common during wintertime in rural Bangladesh. The extract that comes out when the sun goes down is of the highest quality, so the earthenware is left overnight and brought down early in the morning the next day. The sap, which is packed with natural sugars, is drank as a juice or boiled into molasses or processed into jaggery, both of which are essential ingredients of winter delicacies called pitha. The photos were taken on Thursday at Louhajang upazila in Munshiganj.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 10, 2020 18:12 UTC