~16 cal · 0g protein · 4g carbs · 0g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Gourd of milky palm wine
🇬🇦 Libreville
Palm wine, or vin de palme, is tapped straight from the crown of the oil or raffia palm across Gabon and fermented by wild yeasts on the spot. Milky and sweet when fresh, it grows tart and stronger by the hour. Shared from a common vessel, it is central to village gatherings and celebrations.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 6 —
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8 cups fresh palm sap (from a tapped palm)
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2 tbsp sugar (optional, to sweeten)
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1 clean cloth (to strain)
Instructions
1
Collect the fresh palm sap into a clean vessel; it begins fermenting from wild yeasts almost immediately.
2
Strain the sap through a clean cloth to remove insects and debris.
3
Leave it to ferment a few hours to a day, tasting as it moves from sweet toward tart and stronger.
4
Serve at the strength you prefer, sweetening lightly if very tart, from a shared gourd.
Gabonese forest-village tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Libreville. A rainforest capital devoted to palm-nut chicken.
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Gabon. Equatorial rainforest country of palm-nut sauces.
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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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