Tuak
Encyclopedia
Tuak is an alcoholic beverage
made of fermented rice, yeast and sugar and drank in parts of Indonesia
such as Sumatra
, Sulawesi
, Penang Islands, Borneo
and East Malaysia
. In these areas it is often referred to as rice wine. The beverage is a popular drink among the Iban
s and other Dyaks of Sarawak
during the Gawai festivals, weddings, hosting of guests and other special occasions.
Preparation: cooked glutinous rice is spread thin and left to cool on flat surfaces, metallic utensils are usually used. An equivalent weight of yeast (ragi) is added, which will produce bitter Tuak. For sweet Tuak, a smaller proportion of ragi is added. The yeast is pounded into powder and mixed with the rice after it has cooled and the mixture is left to ferment in jars for anything between 3 and 10 days. During this time the solids separate from the liquid and usually float on top of the mixture.
Sugar is added to boiling water (typically 1 kg of sugar to every 2 liters of water, but the mix can be varied depending on the preference for the level of sweetness) and the cooled syrup is added to the fermented mixture.
The Tuak is ready to be served or as with the locals, it is preferably left to stand for another 10 days for the taste to mature. The longer the Tuak is kept, the more matured it would become. Tuak can be stored for long period of time, over the course of time the colour darkens and an aroma of honey develops. Provided the content of either alcohol or sugar is high enough, the rice wine can be stored for many years in sealed bottles.
The same word is used for other drinks in Indonesia
, for example the palm wine
of the Batak people of North Sumatra
.
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
made of fermented rice, yeast and sugar and drank in parts of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
such as Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, Penang Islands, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and East Malaysia
East Malaysia
East Malaysia, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia located on the island of Borneo. It consists of the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan. It lies to the east from Peninsular Malaysia , which is located on the Malay Peninsula. The two are...
. In these areas it is often referred to as rice wine. The beverage is a popular drink among the Iban
Iban people
The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...
s and other Dyaks of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
during the Gawai festivals, weddings, hosting of guests and other special occasions.
Preparation: cooked glutinous rice is spread thin and left to cool on flat surfaces, metallic utensils are usually used. An equivalent weight of yeast (ragi) is added, which will produce bitter Tuak. For sweet Tuak, a smaller proportion of ragi is added. The yeast is pounded into powder and mixed with the rice after it has cooled and the mixture is left to ferment in jars for anything between 3 and 10 days. During this time the solids separate from the liquid and usually float on top of the mixture.
Sugar is added to boiling water (typically 1 kg of sugar to every 2 liters of water, but the mix can be varied depending on the preference for the level of sweetness) and the cooled syrup is added to the fermented mixture.
The Tuak is ready to be served or as with the locals, it is preferably left to stand for another 10 days for the taste to mature. The longer the Tuak is kept, the more matured it would become. Tuak can be stored for long period of time, over the course of time the colour darkens and an aroma of honey develops. Provided the content of either alcohol or sugar is high enough, the rice wine can be stored for many years in sealed bottles.
The same word is used for other drinks in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, for example the palm wine
Palm wine
Palm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
of the Batak people of North Sumatra
North Sumatra
North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
.