Vin de palme
The fermented sap of the palm
Aussi écrit : matango, mimbo, white mimbo
What is it?
A milky, whitish drink drawn from the sap of the oil palm or raphia. It is obtained by cutting into the tree's inflorescence and collecting the liquid, sweet when it flows, which then ferments very quickly: a few degrees of alcohol within hours, around ten after a few days. Past that point it turns to vinegar or is distilled into strong spirit.
Where does it come from?
- Littoral — Speciality
- Centre — Speciality
- South-West — Speciality
- West — Speciality
- North-West — Speciality
It is eaten across the whole country.
Associated people(s) : Beti, coastal Sawa peoples, Grassfields peoples
A practice found in many regions. In the West the drink is mostly raffia wine, distinct from oil-palm wine.
Main ingredients
- Palm sap (oil palm or raphia)
How to enjoy it
Drunk cool, traditionally from a calabash, in a group.
Origin and tradition
Produced in the forest and savannah regions of the south. Far more than a drink, it is central to customary ceremonies: it is served without fail at the bride price, weddings, funerals and successions. A saying holds that, on such days, anything may run out except the white wine.