The word "toddy" traces back to the Proto-Dravidian root "tāẓ- (DED number: 3180)," which means palmyra/toddy palm and gave rise to forms like "tāḍi" or "tāṭi" in Telugu, Gondi, and Kolami-Gadba; "tāri" or "tāḷi" in Kannada and Tulu.

The wine may be allowed to ferment longer, up to a day, to yield a stronger, more sour, and acidic taste, which some people prefer.

In part of the central and western Democratic Republic of the Congo, palm wine is called malafu.

Palm wine plays an important role in many ceremonies in many tribes and nations of Nigeria such as among the Igbo and Yoruba peoples, and elsewhere in Central and Western Africa.

[8] Guests at weddings, birth celebrations, funerals, and gatherings to observe important festivals and holidays are served in generous quantities.

Palm wine is often infused with medicinal herbs to remedy a wide variety of physical complaints.

As a token of respect to deceased ancestors, many drinking sessions begin with a small amount of palm wine spilled on the ground (Kulosa malafu in Kikongo ya Leta).

In parts of southeastern Nigeria, namely Igboland, palm wine is locally referred to as "mmanya ocha" (literally, "white drink"), with "ngwo" and "nkwu" variants.

In the absence of legal toddy, moonshine distillers of arrack often sell methanol-contaminated alcohol, which can have lethal consequences.

In the states of Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh (India), toddy is a popular drink in rural parts that is frequently consumed at the end of the day after work.

In the Indian state of Kerala, toddy is used in leavening (as a substitute for yeast) a local form of hopper called the vellayappam.

The beverage is a popular drink among the Kadazan-Dusun, Ibans, and Dayaks during the Gawai and Kaamatan festivals, weddings, hosting of guests, and other special occasions.

Mexican tuba made from coconut sap is common in western Mexico, especially in the states of Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guerrero.

It became so popular that in 1619, Captain Sebastian de Piñeda wrote to King Philip III of Spain complaining about the Filipino "Indio" settlers in Nueva España who were causing significant loss of profits to Iberian alcohol exporters due to tuba.

It is traditionally sold by street vendors in large bottle gourds mixed with coconut milk, ice, and sugar.

[21] In Tuvalu, the process of making toddy can be seen with tapped palm trees that line Funafuti International Airport.

Karewe is boiled to reduce into a thick light brown liquid, called kamwaimwai, used as a sweetener and spread.

Some small pollinating mammals consume large amounts of fermented palm nectar as part of their diet, especially the Southeast Asian pen-tailed treeshrew.

The inflorescences of the bertam palm contain populations of yeast that ferment the nectar in the flowers to up to 3.8% alcohol (average: 0.6%).

There are a variety of regional names for palm wine: Toddy in English கள்ளு kaḷḷu in Tamil കള്ള് kaḷḷŭ in Malayalam ಕಳ್ಳು kaḷḷu or sendi in Kannada kali in Tulu తాటి కల్లు tāṭi kallu in Telugu Tadi in Assam, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra তাড়ি taṛi in Bengali sur in Konkani Tadi in Bhojpuri a Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.b Marathi.

The tapping and consumption of palm wine are recurrent motifs in the Chinua Achebe novel Things Fall Apart,[30] and in the Amos Tutuola novel The Palm-Wine Drinkard.