Toddy

Toddy – fermented palm ‘drink’

Toddy, which really is the anglicized word Thadi is the drink made from the juices that are coaxed out of the palm (generally coconut or palmyra, but in some cases other palm), collected in vessels hung on the tree and left to mildly ferment. In Kerala and some other parts of South India this is called kallu (pronounced cull·le; le as in the French).

A note about the source – the drink is made from the fermented juices of palm trees – not only coconut palm but also the toddy palm (palmyra). It isn't made from coconut water from inside the nut. It is also different from toddy palm sap that is boiled down to obtain sweet palm sugar or palm candy or palm jaggery. The sweet tree juices that are typically collected to ferment for the toddy drink must be coaxed out of young trees at a specific stage of growth. This is done by experienced toddy 'tappers' who shimmy up the tree and coax the tree to yield it's juices by rhythmic tapping using various implements – for example a bison bone filled with lead for added weight. A pot or some other vessel is hung on the tree to collect the juices at appropriate puncture points on the tree. The juices then ferment naturally from airborne yeasts – a lambic-style process, though this happens quickly. The sap that collects is left in the cool night air and typically harvested in the morning and kept cool lest it spoil. If refrigerated it keeps much better, not fermenting too much.

In Kerala, kallu shops are fairly common though government regulated to control otherwise illicit operations that spike the drink with potentially dangerous spirits (more on this below). Kallu shops are also a great place to sample local cuisine in Kerala, as they have kitchens to keep their customers appetites sated. So driving along the highway from Kochi (or Cochin) towards wherever it is we were going, once we spied a bona fide kallu shop we stopped for lunch. Now, typically women are not seen in kallu shops - drinking being somewhat taboo and something the menfolk do. There are also class differences and kallu is considered the drink of fisherfolk and laborers. This gets back to the issue of alcohol-enhanced kallu which can provide the 'kick' of the added alcohol and why the laborers and fishermen, who demand more bang for their meagre bucks, get the spiked versions.
As A2Fay was with us, and explanations were made that we were interested in food as well, we were seated in a separate, uh, shack. The toddy was served first – it had a bit of a fermented zing to it, but otherwise was quite refreshing. It would have been nicer a touch colder and probably that would have kept the slight sharpness from developing.


Refreshing on it's own, with the food it made for a most excellent stop-for-food stop.

(in pic on R, food clockwise from foreground: fish curry, fish curry (there were more), kappa(pronounced cup-pa) – spiced, mashed tapioca/yuca, the traditional starch with Kerala fish curry, meen peerei (small fish with grated coconut). These two pics are frames from the video.
A video clip of the shack and our food and drink can be viewed here (YouTube).
The dish at the end from which a spoonful is taken is the traditional dry fried beef (olayarthu erachi = stirred/fried beef) with spices and coconut.

Fast forward a few hours that day. Knowing that we were there to sample the local kallu[/] that evening our host took us to the 'neighborhood' [i]kallu shop where he had made special arrangements to have fresh kallu kept chilled in the refrigerator (so as to prevent excessive fermentation) and have it as is – not spiked. Again, as A2Fay was with us, and to avoid tongues wagging in that small village that he (our host) was seen in such a 'low' place, we were seated in a small thatched booth (for lack of a better word) outside of the shop. The kallu was brought to us in a small red mug from the bucket in the fridge. This was an amazingly refreshing drink – sweet, like coconut water almost, yet clearly different and with a slight edge to it. A drink I could have by the gallon. It didn't have much of an alcoholic bite to it – probably because the alcohol content was low (though I did detect a faint effect after the few glasses as we got up to leave ). Having declined dinner (because a feast awaited us at our host's house), along with the kallu, we were served some finger food – quick fried spiced squid. Maybe it was the moment and the drink, but that squid preparation remains among the best squid dishes I have eaten. Brought to us almost sizzling, it was soft, fresh and sweet, like tender coconut flesh, with an accompanying mild heat (despite it's fiery appearance) that heightened the taste of the squid. It also enhanced the desire and taste for the wonderful drink we were enjoying.




Some time later, pleased that we were enjoying his brew so much and were eager to know about how it was made, the shopkeeper brought one of his kallu-harvesters to us to show us his tools and explain the process a bit.
The pic below is of the 'utility belt' that the kalluman straps on – with a sickle (not visible except for handle being held) and cleaver and bison bone 'hammer' (filled with lead at one end). The round scoop or ladle at the bottom of the 'belt' is fittingly made from a coconut shell.



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I didn't realize that toddy was bottled and sold – much less available all the way in Westmont, IL. Yet, there it was on a shelf at A1 Grocer ($3.99/625 mL bottle, IIRC)


Of course, I tried it.


The bottle notes to shake well before opening, which I did to stir up the sedimented particles. This gave the toddy a sharp bite – a bit too much in fact and I would suggest against a vigorous shake (IIRC, I turned it upside down and back up again twice). Best would be to shake it a bit, but filter through a cheesecloth to get rid of some of the sharp particulates. For a bottled version of an essentially low shelf life product I was pleasantly surprised*. It seemed a touch expensive, but not so much if you factor that it is a somewhat esoteric item (for Westmont anyway).



A1 Indian Grocer
6601 S. Cass Avenue
Westmont, Chicago, IL 60559
(630) 960-4900


*I'd rate it about a 4.5 if what I had in Kerala was a 9 (linear ten-point scale)**
**Nine = best I've had. By my definition, nothing can rate a ten on a ten point scale, linear or log).

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See also theWikipedia entry on palm wine
/I see now that it has been updated and is a bit better than when I decided to write this – earlier there were more errors (like the link to the somewhat unrelated Goan Feni or Fenny) and less info/
Toddy is not to be mistaken with distilled palm wine, which is much more potent (i.e., higher alcohol content) obviously. While Feni from the Indian state of Goa is typically/traditionally understood to be the distillate of the cashew fruit (or cashew apple)*, some palm wine is also distilled and sold as Palm Fenny.
That would be this:

(not a drink that elicits much commentary, so that's that)
On the other hand, the vile cashew fenny is noteworthy, but that's a different topic

As noted (partially) in the wikipedia entry, Toddy (or palm wine) is enjoyed in coastal India, in Sri Lanka, Burma, Indonesia (where it is called tuba) and also coastal Africa. I'm not sure if the African version is the distilled one or not – from my observations there (as a child, so I may not have the true picture) was that it was the distilled version. Another thing I can't figure out is why this drink is not a feature in Thai cuisine, where palms abound. I have searched and asked and searched some more, but can find no indication that kallu or toddy is consumed in Thailand. However, I take that to mean only that I haven't found it – I refuse to believe that it isn't actually. At any rate, I do think that a glass of chilled toddy will be a good accompaniment to a Thai meal.

*actually, the thalamus, the fruit is the nut itself.

I have fond memories of seeing the toddy shacks in Kerala -- but our guide didn't think of a way to make it respectable, so we never got to indulge while there.

However, P&P Asian imports in Niles sells bottled Toddy, so I am able to enjoy it, now that I'm back in the northern suburbs.

Thanks for the post. It makes me want to go back to India. Did you travel at all by house boat while in Kerala?

Cynthia, what brand of toody at the store in Niles? The same Sri Lankan Eagle brand? I had no idea bottled toddy was so widely available.

[url=http://static.flickr.com/106/287931059_4a61d61f0e_o.jpg]Houseboats like these?
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No, we declined because the Kerala leg of our trip was short. Next time.

sazerac wrote:Cynthia, what brand of toody at the store in Niles? The same Sri Lankan Eagle brand? I had no idea bottled toddy was so widely available.

[url=http://static.flickr.com/106/287931059_4a61d61f0e_o.jpg]Houseboats like these?
[/url]

No, we declined because the Kerala leg of our trip was short. Next time.

I don't remember the brand, but I don't think it was the Eagle brand, as that doesn't look familiar -- I think the one I get there has a brown label. (Clearly, it's time to get back for more toddy, if I don't remember the label -- but I do remember the flavor quite vividly.)

Yes, houseboats like those -- great way to travel -- they come equipped with a driver and a cook.

And with Kerala, one always hopes there will be a next time!

Fascinating post, sazerac! Thank you!