Date-palm sap tapped in the Libyan oases, sweet when fresh and alcoholic within a day. Because it ferments within hours it is drunk almost immediately, and it never leaves the oasis that produced it.
It ferments in the collecting vessel on the tree, before anyone handles it; there is no preparation, only a climb and a cut.
What goes into it
- date palm sap
- nothing else
How it is made
A tapper cuts into the crown of the date palm and binds a container beneath to collect the sap, returning morning and evening. Yeasts on the tree and in the container ferment it as it drips, so it is sweet at dawn and noticeably alcoholic by the afternoon of the same day.
How long it takes: hours; alcoholic by the afternoon it is drawn
How it is eaten
From a glass at the oasis, the day it is tapped; drunk sweet in the morning and stronger later.
History
Collected from the crown of the date palm in the southern and western oases; because it ferments within hours it is drunk almost immediately.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lagbi?
Lagbi is a wine & spirit from Libya: date-palm sap tapped in the oases, sweet fresh and alcoholic within a day. Collected from the crown of the date palm in the southern and western oases; because it ferments within hours it is drunk almost immediately.
How is Lagbi made?
A tapper cuts into the crown of the date palm and binds a container beneath to collect the sap, returning morning and evening. Yeasts on the tree and in the container ferment it as it drips, so it is sweet at dawn and noticeably alcoholic by the afternoon of the same day. It takes hours; alcoholic by the afternoon it is drawn.
Can I make Lagbi at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It ferments in the collecting vessel on the tree, before anyone handles it; there is no preparation, only a climb and a cut.
What goes into Lagbi?
Date palm sap, nothing else.
How is Lagbi eaten?
From a glass at the oasis, the day it is tapped; drunk sweet in the morning and stronger later.
