Palmwine is a most cherished natural drink, after water, in South Eastern Nigeria. Perhaps maps have a role to place in this situation. How? Well, the map of Nigeria identifies vegation and soil texture peculiar to different regions and palm trees grow mostly in the south; more significantly, rafia palms thrive in tropical rainforest which is prevalent in SE Nigeria.
The Palmwine Crawl was intentionally adjusted for the evenings, to allow attendees retire after the days activities.
We visited three locations and tasted palmwine drinks from different tappers. Those who extract the drinks from the raffia palm are called Palmwine Tappers!
There were extensive debates about the best palmwines, the tradition, the skill of tapping, the chemistry, the nutritional value and its sustainability. The last point is one major reason for starting such a meetup.
The first tasting was at Umuzor Kindrend. We had a doctor, teacher, security officer, landscape technician, architect, musician and a student. About 11 persons in total. We spent 4 hours till 11pm on the topic. The elderly folks above 55 narrated from a historic angle while the younger people emphasized more on the need to have skilled tappers and quality drinks. The drink was given a 90% grade.
Second tasting as at Amaku Oboama. This time we ordered for “Number 2” and we drank from the traditional cups made from gourds. This happened following the previous day’s discussion on the need to sustain some traditional and cultural values. Keeping the gourd cup stable on the table was a real challenge because the buttom wasn’t flat. So it required care else you spill the drink. We had some portion, felt the “nche” in the palmwine and took the rest home. A 95% score for this jar!
Third session was unintended. So, the teacher at the initial event who’s been in academia for over 20yrs, brought a fresh palmwine straight from a palmwine tapper. He wanted us to taste the fresh sap and debate again. This particular jar was so refreshing, sweet and bubbly. He restricted the drink to one cup per person while the rest was reserved for his wife. “Women love the fresh sweet palmwine” he said. Ahh, so this is another topic for another day.
The fourth session was quite interestingly. One jar of palmwine for 13 persons. This time, we appointed more experienced buds to confirm its quality before we proceed or order for another jar. It was confirmed edible. Turn by turn, we gulped some drinks and some local oil beans salad. This palmwine got an 89% because it was tapped during rainfall. Aha! Noted.
Tim, an American and former employee of a global brewering coy, said he loved palmwine but mixes it with Guinness!
I started tasting palmwine as a teenager, courtesy of my grandpa. He believes the yeast in the drink aids eyesight. We need to research this?
So in all, we had interesting times and I shared the Local Guides objectives with the folks. Someone, asked if his family home could be added to the map so that people could locate it. I informed him that it Google maps prohibits addition of private homes for privacy reasons.
Looking forward to more tasting! Album