Information:
In Gambia it is extracted from the "palm palm" tree, by palm
wine tappers, most often Bainunka men who climb the trunk using a strap
made from rope or leaves called a kajandak. They tap the tree just below
the flower-stalk of the male inflorescence and attach a gourd there
for a while. The juice is fast fermenting and contains glucose and sucrose.
After tapping the palm tree, stick a bottle in, and wait eight hours
or so for the container to fill with wine. The alcoholic drink comes
from the tree fully fermented, with a yeasty taste that can range form
very sweet to fairly sour. The sweetest comes from a tree tapped for
the very first time—men often call it the drink of females due to its
low alcohol content and sugary tang. It is locally known as 'Sengga'
and the Jolas have a dance which represents Cassa-tappers in their daaka,
brewery production.
Stronger liquor is had by trees that have been tapped many times. You
can buy palm wine at a local tapping ground called "Nature",
which can be found near the golf course in Fajara — for best luck, ask
a Gambian friend for directions.
Don't buy bottle-loads, because it gets stronger and sourer with time,
spoiling totally within a few days. Refrigerate it if possible. If you
are drinking at the beach, kept it fresh by burying the bottle in the
sand.
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Travel & Tourism
Travel Advice Drinks
In Gambia it is extracted from the "palm palm" tree, by palm
wine tappers, most often Bainunka men who climb the trunk using a strap
made from rope or leaves called a kajandak. They tap the tree just below
the flower-stalk of the male inflorescence and attach a gourd there
for a while. The juice is fast fermenting and contains glucose and sucrose.
