This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 8, March 26-April 1, 2006
Coconut vinegar-making
in Sorsogon
Tuba, a local alcoholic drink made
from the sap of a coconut tree, turns sour after two or three days. After
eight to 12 weeks of fermentation, tuba becomes pure and natural organic
vinegar. BY
TAMMY DE CASTRO If only we can drink the
fresh tuba before it becomes vinegar. Tuba,
or the sweet, freshly-gathered coconut sap was a popular alcoholic beverage in
the Philippines in the early 50’s. However, it never reached the level of
large-scale, commercial production. Now, tuba is getting a boost with
the production of organic coconut vinegar. Sorsogon Foods Enterprises,
owned by Erlinda Corsiga, makes “Lola Conching’s” Coco Nectar, Organic
Vinegars. The first step in making coconut vinegar is the collection of tuba. Tuba
turns sours after two or three days. After eight to 12 weeks of fermentation,
tuba becomes pure and natural organic vinegar. Hurry now, and drink your
vinegar before it turns sour. Here are the steps to show
how vinegar is produced and processed in Corsiga’s coconut farm in Brgy. San
Rafael, Bulan, Sorsogon. Tuba,
or coconut sap is extracted from a spadix, or the tender, unopened part
of a coconut floral branch. The tuba gatherer has to climb up a coconut tree,
wrap abaca or rattan strip along the length of the selected branch. The wrapped branch is then
tapped with a hardwood mallet so as to carefully bruise and rapture the tender
tissues of the floral branch, which is then gradually bent downward. The tip is
tied down with abaca string to a nearby leaf branch. The bending procedure is
repeated daily for one to two weeks until the floral branch droops. When the
branch is drooping halfway down, the tip is cut open with a sharp knife.
After three days, sap
starts dripping from the branch, and is collected in a bamboo segment or plastic
container fastened to the branch. The daily slicing of the tip of the branch
allows the sap to flow continuously. The mouth of the bamboo or
plastic receptacle is covered with a piece of fibrous net of light brown stalks
locally called “guinit”. This keeps out the rainwater, insects, mice and
lizards. The tuba gatherer
transfers the sap collected in the bamboo segment to a longer bamboo segment
which hangs from his back as he climbs up and down the trees. The collected tuba is
filtered through a sieve of abaca fiber into a five-gallon plastic jerry
container. Fermentation process: The tuba is poured
into a fermentation vessel where it becomes vinegar after a couple of weeks or
months when it reaches its natural acidity level. The fermented tuba is then
filtered and pasteurized -- heated for 15 minutes -- and then poured into
sterilized bottles and sealed. Organic vinegar is chemical free. It has no
additive dye, flavoring, artificial colorings and preservatives. © 2006 Bulatlat
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Vinegar You Can Almost Drink
Bulatlat