Palm Wine: A Cultural Touchstone

At least two watercolor paintings by Emmanuel Owusu Dartey depict the process of tapping palm trees for wine. In the image above on the left, two figures are setting out or returning from the tapping, carrying pots and gourds to hold the valuable liquid. On the right, three boys have knocked down a small palm tree, and they are in the process of making the incision from which to drain the sap. Clara Etso Ugbodaga-Ngu also painted a scene related to this industry, specifically a palm wine seller, who are called elemu in the Yoruba language. This figure is surrounded by colorful gourds, which are presumably filled with the beverage. They are most likely decorated because they will be reused for the next batch of wine, which allows the existing yeasts and bacteria to jump-start the fermentation process.

Though not as direct of a reference, it appears that the figures in Akinola Lasekan’s painting Recess Time at Farm (at left) may be drinking palm wine, since the substance in their bowls appears to be white, and it presumably came from the large gourd in the center. This beverage is often used as an antidote to the heat, so this would make sense for the workers to be enjoying it during their break. Lasekan also depicted palm-wine tappers climbing tall trees to attach or switch the gourds collecting the sap in a detailed pen-and-ink drawing (below).

If you’re interested in trying palm wine for yourself, you will likely have to travel to Africa (or Southeast Asia), at least for now. Fortunately though, there are several people trying to produce it commercially for more widespread sale and exporting. The Nigerian company Pamii, created by Daniella Ekwueme, was bottling the beverage at 4% ABV in 11 oz bottles, and trying to “cultivate a brand and lifestyle around it”, focusing on a younger crowd. Her goal has been to preserve this African tradition and promote “appreciating things from home and reclaiming them and doing them better.” Unfortunately, the social media pages have not been active since December 2020. Other similar exporters like Nkulenu are entering the US market slowly.

On another front, Nigerian immigrant Onye Ahanotu and his family struggled to find this “cornerstone of culture and society” in the US, largely due to lack of demand as well as the rapid fermentation and souring process. Ahanotu, with his background in science, founded Ikenga Wines in 2018, in order to experiment with a more high-tech route of palm wine production. In order to bypass the resource-intensive process of harvesting, storing, and shipping the palm sap, he has been working on synthetically producing a molecularly identical liquid in a lab near San Francisco. Yeast and microbes for the fermentation are sourced from Nigeria, which contribute to creating an authentic “terroir” or flavor profile. The synthetic sap won’t sour quickly like the natural wine, and can be aged to develop even more complex flavors. Ikenga Wines, which will sell their sparkling product in traditional 750 mL bottles, is hoping to begin shipping to most US states within 8-12 months.