Ingredients
- 500 gfresh kava root (Piper methysticum), preferably 4–5 year old noble varieties such as Borogu, washed and scraped clean of soil and skin
- 1.5–2 litrescool fresh water
- A pinch of fine salt, optional
Kit
- 1large wooden or plastic basin (tanoa)
- 1clean cloth strainer or a piece of hibiscus bast
- Coconut shell cups (bilo or shells)
- A stone or wooden pounder
Directions
- Wash and scrape the fresh root thoroughly. Grit is the main fault in home-made kava and any soil left on the root is drunk with it.
- Cut the root into short lengths and pound it in a stone mortar, or on a flat stone, until it is a wet, stringy pulp. In Vanuatu this is done by hand; in some islands it was traditionally chewed by young men, which is now rare and discouraged for hygiene.
- Put the pulp in the cloth in the basin and add the water a little at a time, roughly 1 part root to 3 parts water for Vanuatu strength, which is much stronger than the Fijian or Tongan ratio.
- Knead and squeeze the bundle steadily in the water for 10–15 minutes. The kavalactones are held in the resin, and only sustained mechanical squeezing, not soaking, releases them.
- Twist the cloth hard and wring it out completely, then re-wet the pulp and repeat twice more until the liquid runs pale and the pulp is exhausted.
- Strain the whole basin through the cloth once more so no fibre remains. Good kava is opaque, muddy brown-grey and slightly viscous.
- Let it settle 10 minutes, then serve at cool room temperature in coconut shells, filled to the brim.
- Drink each shell in one go, without pausing. Kava is bitter and earthy and sipping it prolongs the taste; the tongue and lips go numb within seconds, which is the sign it is properly made.
- Spit or rinse afterwards, eat a small salty or sweet snack, and sit quietly. In a nakamal at dusk, voices are kept low and no bright lights are used.
Technique
- Vanuatu kava is the strongest routinely drunk in the Pacific, made from fresh green root and mixed thick. Do not treat it like the powdered Fijian product; two shells of Port Vila kava will floor an unprepared visitor.
- Health: use only noble varieties of the root. Tudei varieties and the aerial stems and leaves contain compounds linked to nausea and liver problems, and Vanuatu law restricts exports to noble root for this reason.
- Never mix kava with alcohol or with medications processed by the liver, and do not drive afterwards. The effect is sedative and comes on over 20–30 minutes.
Substitutions
- Outside the islands, use 60 g of dried noble kava powder per litre of cool water, kneaded in a strainer bag for 10 minutes; the effect is milder than the fresh-root version.
- A blender can replace hand pounding for dried root, but never for fresh root, where the fibres wrap the blade.
Variations
- Fiji-style grog, made from dried powdered root, thinner and served with formal clapping ritual.
- Tongan faikava, drunk in evening clubs with singing.
- Vanuatu nakamal kava, sold by the shell at dusk and drunk in near silence, the strongest of the three.
History
Presented as sevusevu when entering a village, yaqona is mixed in a wooden tanoa and drunk in a fixed order with clapping, the cobo.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kava?
Kava is a drink from Fiji: earthy pounded-root drink shared ceremonially from a communal tanoa bowl. Presented as sevusevu when entering a village, yaqona is mixed in a wooden tanoa and drunk in a fixed order with clapping, the cobo.
How long does Kava take to make?
Kava takes 40 min of preparation and 0 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 large bowl, serving 6–10 shells. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kava?
Yes, within limits. Outside the islands, use 60 g of dried noble kava powder per litre of cool water, kneaded in a strainer bag for 10 minutes; the effect is milder than the fresh-root version. A blender can replace hand pounding for dried root, but never for fresh root, where the fibres wrap the blade.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kava?
Strain the whole basin through the cloth once more so no fibre remains. Good kava is opaque, muddy brown-grey and slightly viscous.
