Palm wine is an alcoholic drink obtained through the natural fermentation of the sap of certain palm trees. Drunk fresh or after several days of fermentation, it goes by a different name depending on the region of Africa: bandji, sodabi, legmi. A social drink above all, it still accompanies weddings, customary rites and moments of sharing today in several societies of West and Central Africa.
What is palm wine?
Palm wine comes from the sweet sap harvested from several species of palm trees: the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and the raffia palm (Raphia vinifera) in West and Central Africa, or the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in the oases of the Maghreb, where it is called legmi. This sap ferments spontaneously through the action of yeasts present in the air, with nothing added.
How is palm wine harvested?
The harvest follows two main methods: incising the palm's inflorescence, which lets the sap drip into a hanging container, or cutting directly into the trunk fitted with a receptacle. Some harvesters fell the tree for a more abundant harvest, considered lower quality. The harvester climbs to the top of the palm with the help of a rope or a woven belt, a gesture passed down from generation to generation.
A different name depending on the region
Each region of Africa has given its own name to this drink: bandji in Côte d'Ivoire, a Dioula word from West Africa, mimbo in Cameroon, and legmi in the oases of the Maghreb, where it comes from the date palm. Distilled, palm wine becomes sodabi, a traditional spirit from Benin and Togo.
Fermentation and alcohol content
Fermentation of palm wine is fast: the sap already reaches 1 to 2 degrees of alcohol as it leaves the tree, about 4 degrees after two hours, and can reach 12 degrees after 72 hours. After four days, fermentation turns acetic and the drink turns to vinegar. Pasteurised bottled versions generally reach between 7.5 and 11.5 degrees.
A place in ceremonies
Beyond its everyday consumption, palm wine holds a ritual place in several societies of West and Central Africa: it is among the dowry gifts at customary weddings, and accompanies religious rites and funerals, where a few drops are poured on the ground in homage to the ancestors. In Cameroon, offering it at a wedding symbolises the union sealed between the two families.
To go further
Other traditional African drinks are featured on the NKOSI blog: bissap, a West African hibiscus drink, and gnamakoudji, an African ginger juice.
