Palm wine tapped and fermented along the northern Mozambican coast. Coconut sap is drawn at dawn, sweet when fresh, alcoholic within a day, and some of it is distilled into spirit.
It ferments in the container on the tree before anyone handles it; there is no preparation, only a climb and a cut.
What goes into it
- coconut palm sap
- nothing else
How it is made
A tapper climbs the palm, cuts the flower spathe and binds a container beneath it, returning morning and evening. Yeasts already on the tree ferment the sap in the container as it drips, so it arrives already working and turns sour by the end of the day.
How long it takes: hours; sour within a day
How it is eaten
From a bottle or a glass at a roadside stall, the day it is tapped.
History
Coconut palm sap tapped at dawn on the northern coast; sweet when fresh, alcoholic within a day and distilled by some into spirit.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sura?
Sura is a wine & spirit from Mozambique: palm wine tapped and fermented along the coast. Coconut palm sap tapped at dawn on the northern coast; sweet when fresh, alcoholic within a day and distilled by some into spirit.
How is Sura made?
A tapper climbs the palm, cuts the flower spathe and binds a container beneath it, returning morning and evening. Yeasts already on the tree ferment the sap in the container as it drips, so it arrives already working and turns sour by the end of the day. It takes hours; sour within a day.
Can I make Sura at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It ferments in the container on the tree before anyone handles it; there is no preparation, only a climb and a cut.
What goes into Sura?
Coconut palm sap, nothing else.
How is Sura eaten?
From a bottle or a glass at a roadside stall, the day it is tapped.
