Palm wine
Palm wine or toddy is a popular alcoholic beverage in West Africa but also in parts of the Caribbean, South America and Asia (India, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia). Usually it is made of various date and oil palms.
The liquid substance is taken out from the tree. Usually it is done from the palm tree flower by the people known as palm wine ``tappers'' (``collectors''). After 24 hours of fermentation the beverage is ready for drinking as an alcoholic drink .
Palm wine tapper
In the first hours of fermentation the liquid is a sweet juice with some 4% of alcohol per volume. If the fermentation lasts over 24 hours the result be a vinegar.
Palm wine can also be distilled. After that a beverage of some 40% of alcohol per volume is made. It known under various names. In Nigeria, for example, people call it ogogoro.
In West Africa people drink palm wine at all important social events - birth child, wedding, settling local disputes, death related rituals. This is especially common among the Igbo people.
In Igbo society there are two types of palm wine depending on the palm tree - Mmanya Nkwu and Mmanya Ngwo. Each of these wines has purpose in the local society.
Toddy Bottle and Glass
In every event including the palm wine it is the youngest man who serves the wine out of the container.
Men of higher status traditionally drank wine from elephant tusks or cattle horns (``mpi''). Palm wine is also drank out of a cup called ``okuku''. This cup is made of calabash.
It is the host who gets the drink first, then the man serving wine gets his drink. After that the wine is given to the eldest man at the event. Everyone else gets the wine after him.
As a sign of respect the woman who gets her wine holds the cup with both hands. She must not drink standing. The last cup from the certain container is given to the eldest man or the host of the event.
Part of the traditional Igbo wedding is a ceremony known as ``igbankwu''. During this ceremony the bride gives the cup of palm wine to the groom.
In some parts of Africa the locals combine palm wine and different herbs to make herbal remedies.
Palm wine is good for health. It has amino acids, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and various B vitamins. Mothers who have problems breastfeeding their babies drink palm wine.
Palm wine has its purpose in cuisine too. For example, one can use it instead of yeast. It is also an ingredient in some rice dishes.
References Information and health benefits of Palm Wine http://www.informafrica.com/health-africa/information-and-health-benefits-of-palm-wine/ Palm wine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_wine Vitus Ejiogu, Palm Wine and Its Importance In Traditional Igbo Society http://ezinearticles.com/?Palm-Wine-and-Its-Importance-In-Traditional-Igbo-Society&id=5498205 Blessing Ompala, Key facts you need to know about palm wine http://globalfoodbook.com/key-facts-you-need-to-know-about-palm-wine/ A traditional Igbo wedding in Nigeria http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/30/nigerian.wedding.ceremony/ Images Palm wine tapper (photo by pjotter05, Flickr) https://www.flickr.com/photos/mokacoffee/2272060510 Palm wine (photo by Dhruvarahjs, Wikimedia) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toddy_Bottle_and_Glass.jpg