🇨🇮 Ivorian Cuisine

Bangui

Palm Wine

Prep Time Tapping process

Servings 6

Difficulty Hard

A naturally fermented, mildly alcoholic palm sap beverage with a sweet, yeasty flavour, tapped fresh from oil palm or raffia trees.

Ingredients

1 Select a mature palm tree and make a careful incision near the crown to access the sap.
2 Attach a clean calabash or container beneath the incision to collect the dripping sap.
3 Collect the sap early in the morning for the sweetest, freshest taste.
4 The sap begins fermenting naturally within hours due to wild yeasts.
5 Strain through a clean cloth to remove any debris.
6 Serve fresh and cool for a sweet drink, or allow to ferment longer for a stronger, tangier version.

Did You Know?

Palm wine begins fermenting the moment it is tapped — by evening, the morning's sweet sap has transformed into a fizzy, mildly alcoholic drink.