Date-palm sap, sweet when fresh and mildly alcoholic within hours of tapping. It is drawn from palms in the Tozeur, Kébili and Djerba oases, and because it ferments the same day it is drunk on the spot and rarely leaves the oasis.
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 climbs the palm and cuts into the crown, binding a container beneath to catch the sap and returning morning and evening. Yeasts already on the tree ferment it as it drips, so it is sweet at dawn and noticeably alcoholic by the afternoon. Repeated tapping eventually kills the palm, which is why it is done sparingly.
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.
History
Tapped from palms in the Tozeur, Kebili and Djerba oases; because it ferments the same day it is drunk on the spot and rarely leaves the oasis.
Frequently asked questions
What is Legmi?
Legmi is a wine & spirit from Tunisia: date-palm sap, sweet when fresh and mildly alcoholic within hours of tapping. Tapped from palms in the Tozeur, Kebili and Djerba oases; because it ferments the same day it is drunk on the spot and rarely leaves the oasis.
How is Legmi made?
A tapper climbs the palm and cuts into the crown, binding a container beneath to catch the sap and returning morning and evening. Yeasts already on the tree ferment it as it drips, so it is sweet at dawn and noticeably alcoholic by the afternoon. Repeated tapping eventually kills the palm, which is why it is done sparingly. It takes hours; alcoholic by the afternoon it is drawn.
Can I make Legmi 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 Legmi?
Date palm sap, nothing else.
How is Legmi eaten?
From a glass at the oasis, the day it is tapped.
