Palmyrah trees, toddy and Jaffna’s cottage industry

The Nation

• Sunday, 21 October 2012

For centuries, Palmyrah and Palmyrah products have played an integral part in the lives of those in the North.
Therefore, the North is also known as the Palmyrah jungle (Panai marak kaadu). Beyond Vavuniya, acres of Palmyrah trees adorn either side of the A9 road that leads to Jaffna.
The unique factor about the tree is that almost all parts of it can be used for human needs.
The Palmyrah palm of Jaffna is found in the Northern parts of Sri Lanka and in South India. The growth of the tree is generally very slow and takes more than 15 years to bear.

Acres of palm trees were destroyed over the years due to war. Even today a drive towards the North reveals the extent of damages to palmyrah trees. Many continue to stand majestic, having withstood the brunt of the 30 year fighting. Some are not fortunate and have lost their crowns. The partially standing trees are those that tell of the destruction.
Three years after, steps have been taken to replant palmyrah trees. This initiative is likely to encourage cottage industries that depend on palmyrah products.
The tree, as mentioned before, has many uses. A few of them are listed below.

Palm leaf

The palm leaf is used for roofing and as a fence. Even though its use as a roofing material has decreased in the town areas, several houses in the villages continue to use them to cover their houses as it cools the interior despite the scorching heat outside. However, the leaf’s usage as a fence can be seen even within town areas. The wood is used for roofing. The fiber can be used to make brushes while the ridge of the leaf is used to make ropes.

Toddy and jaggery

The Palmyrah palm is of two kinds, the male and the female. The male kind does not bear fruit. But, both kinds can be used to tap toddy. At sunset men climb the trees and collect toddy. The beverage is tapped from the tree’s bark. The drink can be distilled to produce jaggery.  

The toddy tastes sweet when fresh, but it turns bitter when fermentation  sets in. A little bit of lime is put into the pot where the toddy is to be collected to sweeten beverage. The sweetened toddy is used to make jaggery (Panamkatty). The sweetened toddy is poured into small baskets made of palmyrah leaf after being boiled down to syrup, to cool down and crystallize.

Jaggery is considered nutritious and healthy than the normal sugar because it is unrefined and it does not contain additional flavors and preservatives. The calorie level of jaggery is slightly less than table sugar, and is sweeter than table sugar.

The panam kizhangu or kotta kelangu is another popular product of the palmyrah tree and is used as food.
Panam kizhangu can be eaten boiled, or dried. Though not considered nutritious, the panam kizhangu continues to be a popular food item in the North.