CHAPTER XIII.

UNFERMENTED AND FERMENTED PALM

WINE.

EASTERN travellers and scholars have distinguished unfermented from fermented palm juice, most of them designating both kinds "palm wine."

Mohammedan Traveller, 9th cent.; Herbert, 1638; Barry, 1775; Durand, 1806; Haafner, 1806; Forbes, 1813; Kidd, 1833; Professor Royle; Schomburgh, 1843; Binning, 1857; Symonds, 1854.

The Mohammedan Traveller, speaking of palm wine, says, "This last liquor is white, and when drunk fresh is sweet like honey, and has the taste of cocoa-nut milk. If kept some time, it becomes as strong as wine; but after some days changes to vinegar" ("Voyage by a Mohammedan Traveller in the 9th Cent.," Kerr's Collect. i. 53).

Sir Thos. Herbert.-"The Wine, or Toddy, is got by wounding or piercing the tree (toddy) and putting a jar or pitcher underneath" ("Travels,” p.

29. Lond. 1677). "In the Mauritius the date tree yields liquor out of the soft pulp not unlike the Toddy, in colour and relish not unlike Must or Sweet Wine. In two days it turns acid" (ibid. p. 381).

Barry." The Indians discovered similar virtues in their Palm trees. They first made incisions in the bark with a view to drink the cooling liquor which distilled from them" (Sir E. Barry, M.D., F.R.S. "Obs.," p. 28. Lond. 1775).

Durand.-" Gasama is a large village which contains a prodigious number of palm trees, with the WINE from which the inhabitants carry on a considerable trade. It is a liquor which runs from the top of the tree by means of an incision, and is of the consistence and colour of skimmed milk. It ferments like champagne. It is sweet when it issues from the tree, but becomes sour in a few days and speedily changes to vinegar (Gov. Durand, "Voyage to Senegal," p. 167. Phillips, Lond. 1806).

Haafner.-"Our drink was the delicious cocoanut, or fresh palm wine" (J. Haafner, "Travels in Ceylon," p. 3. Sir R. Phillips and Co., 1821).

Professor Kidd.-"In the 'Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat.' viii. p. 297, it is stated, that as in other palms, if the extremity of the sheath from whence the flowers of the cocoa arise be cut off when young, a white

sweet liquor distils from it, which is used extensively as a beverage in India under the name of palm wine; ... that if exposed to the air it acquires vinous properties at the end of twelve hours, and at the end of twenty-four hours becomes vinegar. Almost all that has been said of the cocoa tree might be repeated of the date tree" (J. Kidd, M.D., F.R.S., "Bridgewater Treatise," pp. 184, 185, 6th edit. Lond. 1852).

Professor Royle.-"Whether fermented or not, known as palm wine" (Kitto, "Cyc.," art. Tamar).

Schomburgh, speaking of the Mauritia flexuosa, says, "At certain seasons the Indians of the Savannahs and the Warran of the Orinoco draw from it a liquor of vinous taste, which, when fermented, is intoxicating" (R. Schomburgh, K. R. E., "Visit to Source of the Takutu, Brit. Guiana, in 1842,” pp. 24, 25. Journ. R. G. S. xiii., 1842).

Binning." The liquor called toddy, from the Hindu name tâdee or târee, is obtained from various kinds of palms, particularly the cocoa, Palmyra, jaggery, and date. It is the sap of the tree, procured by cutting off one of the long leaves, and fastening an earthen pot to the stump; in the morning a quantity of fluid is found collected in the pot. When drunk fresh it is not unlike ginger beer; but if left for some hours exposed to the sun,

it ferments and turns sour, and in this state possesses considerable intoxicating power" (R. B. M. Binning, Madras C. S., "Travels in Persia," i. 57. Lond. 1857).

Forbes." The fermented juice of the palm tree is more powerfully intoxicating than that of the vine. . . . A small incision being made at the end, there oozes in gentle drops a cool, pleasant liquor called Tarce or Toddy, the palm wine of the poets. This when first drawn is cooling and salutary, but when fermented and distilled produces an intoxicating liquor" (J. Forbes, F.R.S., " Oriental Mem.," i. p. 24. Lond. 1813).

Symonds, speaking of the Palmyra palm, says, “In Jaffna, a distinction is made between toddy and sweet toddy. The former, called by the Tamils culloo, is the fermented; the latter is the unfermented juice" (P. L. Symonds, "The Commercl. Prod. of the Veg. Kingd.,” p. 26. Lond. 1854). Of the Gonuti palm, Symonds writes, "The principal production of this palm is toddy, from Sanskrit Táde. When newly drawn the liquor is clear, and in taste resembles fresh must. In a very short time it becomes turbid, whitish, and somewhat acid, and quickly passes into the vinous fermentation, acquiring an intoxicating quality" (ibid. p. 248).

CHAPTER XIV.

PRINCIPAL USE OF GRAPES IN THE EAST NOT FOR FERMENTED WINE.

use of

IT has generally been supposed that the principal grapes in the East was to make fermented This is an error.

wine.

In Palestine and other Scripture regions, only a small part of the vintage is thus employed. The chief use of the grapes is as food in its natural form, most of what remains being eaten or drank in the form of unintoxicating solids or liquids.

Voyager in Arabia, Tavernier, Parsons, Walpole, Scholz, Laurent, St. John, Robinson, Hamilton, French, Wortabet, Lankester, Burnaby.

Arabian Voyager.—“ Arabians make no wine. Very good grapes at Moka, of which the Arabians never make wine" ("A Voyage to Arabia the Happy," p. 121. Lond. 1730).

Tavernier, speaking of the country between the Tigris and Taurus, says, "Every inhabitant has his