Coconut palm sap collected in the Comoros and Mayotte and left to ferment into a cloudy, sweetish wine. It has to be drunk within a day, because by the second it has turned to vinegar.
It is sap from a living palm, fermented by whatever is already on the tree; 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 unopened flower spathe and binds a container beneath it to catch the sap, returning morning and evening. Yeasts already on the tree and in the container start fermenting the sap immediately, so it is sweet when collected and alcoholic within hours.
How long it takes: hours; sour within a day
How it is eaten
From a cup or a bottle, the same day it is tapped.
History
Tapped from coconut palms in the Comoros and Mayotte, drunk within a day before it turns to vinegar.
Frequently asked questions
What is Trembo?
Trembo is a wine & spirit from Comoros: coconut palm sap collected and left to ferment into a cloudy wine. Tapped from coconut palms in the Comoros and Mayotte, drunk within a day before it turns to vinegar.
How is Trembo made?
A tapper climbs the palm, cuts the unopened flower spathe and binds a container beneath it to catch the sap, returning morning and evening. Yeasts already on the tree and in the container start fermenting the sap immediately, so it is sweet when collected and alcoholic within hours. It takes hours; sour within a day.
Can I make Trembo at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is sap from a living palm, fermented by whatever is already on the tree; there is no preparation, only a climb and a cut.
What goes into Trembo?
Coconut palm sap, nothing else.
How is Trembo eaten?
From a cup or a bottle, the same day it is tapped.
