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| What is Coconut Sap |
The aqueous liquid obtained through a long and very dangerous process is carried out by those coconut palm farmers, although sometimes they have to sacrifice their lives.
The risk that can occur is falling while climbing coconut trees to take coconut sap. reported from page here, in Banyumas, one of the regencies in Indonesia, in 2016, the number of coconut palm sap farmers died 33 people, while injured 136 people, all of them due to falling from a coconut tree while taking sap.
Coconut sap, what is it and where did it come from
Coconut sap (Nira/Legen - Java) is coconut tree roomie, which is clear, brownish in color and is obtained by cutting bunches or coconut flowers that are not open yet, and has a very sweet taste.How to harvest coconut sap
In the process of taking and collecting coconut sap, some equipment is needed as follows:1. A knife or machete to cut the coconut flower.
2. Bamboo or jerry cans that have been perforated rather large, as a container to accommodate roomie
3. Tools for carrying bamboo when climbing coconut trees.
4. Rope, to tie bamboo
6. Water lime / mangosteen skin / pieces of jackfruit wood used as a preservative coconut sap.
After all the equipment is complete, the farmer will first put lime water which functions as a preservative for the sap into bamboo which is used as a storage for roomie.
Furthermore, coconut sap farmers will climb coconut trees, this process is carried out in the morning.
On top of the tree, farmers will do the pruning process at the tip of the coconut flower, the coconut flower has an outer skin which must be sliced and removed first, before pruning the coconut flower.
Furthermore, the process of trimming coconut flowers, this process must be done very carefully, the wrong pruning will cause the sap will not come out or even not come out at all.
Pruning coconut flowers is trimmed with a distance of 10 cm from the tip of the flower, when the new coconut flower is pruned for the first time, it will not immediately produce sap, this pruning process must be repeated for 2 - 3 days in the morning and evening, and during that time the coconut flower must be trimmed with a distance of about 0.5 cm.
After the sap comes out smoothly, farmer will climb a coconut tree in the morning to prune coconut flowers and install bamboo as a container for the sap, and will climb the coconut tree again in the afternoon to take coconut sap and lowered for further processing.
Trimming coconut flowers to take roomie can be done until the base of the coconut flower runs out.
Uses of coconut sap.
Coconut juice is a brownish clear liquid that has a very sweet taste, because it can be drunk directly to simply eliminate thirst, but the sap from coconut trees has many other benefits if it has been further processed, including:
1. Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar is one of the processed products further from coconut juice, here in after known as coconut sugar, or brown sugar, because it has a reddish color that tends to be dark, coconut sugar is one of the ingredients of drinks and as a food flavoring, for dishes that do not use coconut sugar as a complement to seasoning, the taste of the cuisine will be less tasty.Coconut sap is harvested and made of coconut sugar, is the largest percentage of the processing of coconut sap.
2. Sour vinegar from coconut sap
Vinegar is a food that is often consumed, and coconut sap can be made into vinegar, to make vinegar, it needs basic ingredients that have a sweet taste.The making process of vinegar from coconut sap through a fermentation process, which will use a starter from bacteria.
3. Alcohol
Coconut sap can be served as a fresh drink that is very sweet, but its high sugar content in the sap, making bacteria very happy and very fast in the process of fermentation of the coconut sap, therefore, in the process of tapping, lime water is given to the bamboo where the sap is collected , so that roomie does not change because of the fermentation process that is very fast.For the process of making alcohol from coconut sap, roomie after harvesting, if not given preservatives, within two hours it has been turned into aromatic alcohol with a 4% alcohol, still tastes sweet but can be intoxicating. Coconut palm sap fermentation that occurs longer, will result in higher alcohol, and makes the roomie change color to milky white and change its taste to become sour and sour.
In my country, drinking alcohol from the fermentation of coconut juice is called "Tuak". and this drink in several tribes, always served in celebrations and cultural activities.
Coconut sap, from the complexity of the process of collecting and harvesting from coconut trees, and the high level of risk for coconut palm juice farmers, the benefits and uses for human life are truly felt.
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