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Home , Arrack, Palm wine

TODDY to

Josefina C. Suharto

oddy is called 'tuba' gathered in canes mor­ bles a poor and acid possess­ in the , ning and afternoon. ing intoxicating properties. Toddy 'tuwak' in , not only is a nutritious drink, but T'ra' in and Toddy has rejuvenating properties.Thus 'kallu' in . The is also considered for medicinal process converts it to arrack which or toddy is the liquid up application particularly those renal is also called '' in some saccharine material that exudes related diseases. For some coun­ parts of the Philippines. Coconut from the young inflorescence or tries the importance of coconut arrack is still considered a poor the unopened flower of the toddy spans beyond the function m an's ‘' compared to the coconut tree. When first drawn, of providing energy or as food. In imported ones. Yet has the it has the appearance of thin milk India, coconut toddy is also potential not to remain so as the and water, with a combined considered sacred. It is offered to product is slowly enticing the flavour of milk and soda water deities in some temples in taste buds of people outside the with a tinge of cocoa-. It has a and is used in rituals connected region. heavy sweet taste, very much like with sorcery. a "’. In the fresh state, toddy The custom of spirit drinks is essentially contains 12-18% sugar w idespread and dates back to even so it is also a source of coconut Tapping pre-historic times. In fact, toddy or sugar called . and arrack from coconut sap have But a few hours after its Drawing the sap from the been consumed in coconut pro­ collection, a great change takes unopened flower or the inflores­ ducing countries over a long time. place through a rapid process of cence of the coconut tree is know n According to some accounts, the fermentation. If allowed to as tapping. It is a simple activity manufacture of fermented drinks ferment beyond the alcoholic yet it involves a series of was already known in Java. beverage stage, in 24 hours it processes that are very tedious and Indonesia as far back as the 7th becomes unpalatable due to acetic can only be done by experienced century and that distillation of formation and the toddy resem­ persons. Even when one follows a arrack from toddy had been practised in India from about 800 BC. The celebrated traveller Marco Polo who visited Sri Lanka around 1300 AD spoke of people in some parts of the country of having coconut or toddy for drinking and Ibn Batuta who visited the island in 1343 AD also made brief reference to coconut. Meanwhile, Pigafetta the historian, wrote in one of his books on the voyage of Magellan that in 1521, the natives of Samar, in the Philippines presented the captain general with, among other things, a jar of . The , called ureka or arrack, was sweet and somewhat tart and was

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 3, NO. I. 1996 21 general tapping procedure, there content of about 40-45% and 3.13- increasing domestic demand for appears to be no guarantee of a 4.31% acidity. The Philippines' and to some extent as an successful operation. What is export commodity. Statistics known is that, many a local show that in 1992 the Philippines tapper has his own repertoire of This spirit (arrack) to my imported some 5.5 million liters rituals and due to unknown taste is more palatable than of alcoholic beverages amounting factors, these have led to most distilled liquors, having to US$25 million as against 4.3 successful tapping. million liters in 1991 valued at a very decided and peculiar US$22 million. Although no data flavour. It is a little fiery The toddy drawer binds into are available, consumption of one rod the numerous shoots when new, but as water soon alcoholic drinks in most of the which are full of embryo nuts, quenches fire, it is not APCC member countries, with the cuts off the end leaving an abrupt spared by the native exception of countries of and brush like termination. retailers, whose arrack predominantly Moslem religion, Beneath this, the tapper secures an would of most innocent is significantly high. earthen jar or a bamboo. This character were it not for remains undisturbed for 24 hours their infamous addition of The habit of taking alcoholic until sunrise on the following drinks is said to have already stupifying drugs and hot morning. The toddy drawer then been embodied in the Asian peppers. (Samuel W. Baker, 1855) rescends the tree replacing the culture. But one has to develop filled container with another and acquire a taste to really enjoy which will also be gathered in the drinking coconut arrack. An afternoon of the same day. Sap lambanog' is more or less 96% advertisement about Sri Lankan collected varies depending on a proof. In addition to tuba and arrack aptly describes this number of factors that are both lambanog. the Philippines also situation. It says. " the way a external and internal to the plant. produces another alcoholic Scotsman feels about a pure Studies on sap yield give beverage from coconut sap called single-malt scotch or a Frechman recoverable volumes which vary babul or an aged coconut palm about a vintage , is exactly from 303 ml/tree/day for dwarf wine. The Filipino regular tuba how a Sri Lankan feels about varieties to 1015 ml/tree/day for drinkers, prefer babul as it docs coconut arrack. ‘ Although a tall varieties. On the average, a not have the sweetish tinge major producer of this sap productive branch will continue to present in fresh gathered tuba. product, there are only certain yield for about a month. This preference is justified by the areas in the Philippines where it is fact that highest alcohol content predominantly consumed. In Coconut Arrack occurs in a one day old tuba or Southern , in particular, it is babul. said that a fiesta, a wedding or The coconut sap's inherent even a burial is not complete susceptibility to fermentation due Economic Importance without lambanog. Even a simple to its high saccharine contents, gathering warrants the presence of makes it a potential raw material Coconut arrack has become lambanog. for the production of coconut an important commodity from wine. could also be coconut in the Asian and Pacific used to produce wine but the Arrack higher sucrose content of the sap makes it more amenable as a Both Sri Lanka and the fermentation substrate. By the The way a Scotsman feels Philippines are major producers of process of distillation, the about a pure single-malt coconut arrack but to a varying fermented toddy or 'tuba' yields a scotch or a Frechman about degree, it is produced in most of spirit known as coconut arrack. a vintage cognac, is exactly the coconut producing countries in Distillation is exemplified as how a Sri Lankan feels the region. While some limit their when stem from a keetle becomes about coconut arrack. activities to toddy or wine deposited as drops of distilled production, still a few ventured water on a cold surface. The further into distillation, bottling distilled toddy as produced in the and to the export market. In the major coconut producing areas in region primarily for import Philippines, arrack production the region has a high alcoholic substitution to meet the continues to be a backyard

22 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 3, NO. I. 1996 industry but is thriving in most of and early British periods. During seven years". He further added the coconut producing areas in the those times, arrack was exported that 'in the foreign markets his country. One study shows that to Penang, Singapore. Bengal, arrackv are competing and selling income from sap on a per hectare Madras. Bombay and Coramandel at the same price as standard basis is three times higher than in Coast where troops and the Scotch ." making. The limited indigenous population consumed statistics available, however, it. Arrack is often compared to indicated a much higher income . It has the taste and the for arrack production. Latest With the increasing popu­ 'kick" as most refer to the inebri­ reports indicated that coconut lation. a large proportion of arrack ating effect of it. It. however, has arrack is now found in the shelves production is being channeled for yet to find its niche in the in Western countries where Asian domestic consumption. Yet a international market. As the local migrants are plenty. handful of the manufactured people already has acquired a taste arrack have found their way into for it, further development of the A different situation, the export market. A successful export market would definitely however, is observed in Sri entrepreneur who has been in the prove beneficial to the industry. Lanka. Being a major coconut business for the last three decades producer, it is also a major produces coconut arrack for The author is a S ta ff of the Asian exporter of coconut arrack. In fact various echelons of drinkers and & Pacific Coconut Commu­ the industry has been flourishing boasts that his arrack is '100% nity. □ and has brought considerable pure matured in seasoned Halmi- revenue even during the Dutch 11a Casks for a minimum period of

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