Sweet by Nature

Hidden away in the Deniyaya town, the little hamlet of Anguruwadiya is one of the place in Sri Lanka where you can find people who are making treacle and jaggery. When a kithul palm (Caryota urens) stands with a flower at a timely stage, it’s a huge advantage for those who are living there life from this business. Kithul Palm tree grows abundantly in the region and need little or no attention for its upkeep. All that is required is a wait for the flowering to take place. A tree can bear up to two flowers a year and an experienced tapper can identify when the time is ripe for tapping. The kithul flower is really an inflorescence where its thick stem bears a cluster of flowers.

When the stem extremely is filled with cluster and is on the verge of unfolding, it is mature enough for tapping. With a knife and clay pot on the tapper, he first pauses to say a quick prayer before hoisting himself up a ladder of sorts. Long staffs laid against the palm tree are tethered with woody creepers at regular intervals, to create footholds to make the ascent along this improvised ladder. There he position himself on the crude platform at the base of the inflorescence.

The crescent shaped inflorescence can easily be seen from a distance with its free end drooping heavily with the cluster of flowers. About two days prior to making the cut to release the sap, the sheath enclosing the flower is removed and a small incision is first made at the base of the stem. To this bruise a medicinal paste is administered to trigger the draining of the sap. It is then draped with cane and an arecanut sheathe or in some cases a polythene sheet to gather the flower in place and protect from wind.

These tasks must all be conducted with caution as the flower stem may break, and a wooden bracket is also placed to firmly prop the stem. Tapper unravel the draping to release the pressure and promptly makes a clean cut at the free end, releasing a rain of flower clusters. The flower is draped once more in a tight sheathe and the clay pot is secured just below the cut to collect the now ‘tearing’ flower.

Thelijja, or the smoky sap can thus be collected twice a day, once in the morning and again in the late afternoon, for as long as six months. On average 30 bottles of treacle can be produced from each flower and in some cases a maximum of a 100. After that a large wok is placed over the fire to which the sap is poured through a filter and allowed to boil. Then they are regulating the heat required to reduce the sap to treacle. When the treacle thickens to a detectable consistency. The toffee brown ooze is poured into coconut shells and left to cool. Within a short span of 15-20 minutes the shells’ contents transform to a dark brown and harden to form jaggery. The final product is known as ‘Kithul Hakuru’ and it’s famous in Sri Lanka especially to drink tea with them. Instead of sugar you can take a bite of Hakuru and drink the tea.