Lahang is a traditional sweet and cold beverage from
West Java
West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, made from the
sap of
Arenga pinnata (''sugar palm'' or ''aren''). The drink is commonly known in Indonesia, however it is usually associated with
Sundanese of West Java. It is known as a traditional
isotonic drink.
Production
''Lahang'' is obtained through tapping ''aren'' or sugar palm trees. The part being tapped are the male flowers of the ''aren'' plants. In order to maintain its freshness, farmers will usually started early in the dawn to tap the palm flowers. The optimal age of Arenga tree suitable for tapping is five years old or older. Tapping the sap from ''Aren'' tree requires skills, prior of attaching the tube, the cob of male flowers must be cleaned to avoid contamination and impurities.
The sap liquid is slowly build up and drip into the bamboo container. After certain period, the sap would be collected. In certain circumstances when the sap of sugar palm tree was left in open air for too long, the sap liquid will be fermented and turned into
vinegar
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...
or
palm wine.
Selling
The sweet tasting sap then is mixed with ice and ready to be served. Iced ''lahang'' is usually sold as refreshment, a street beverage in large bamboo tubes. ''Lahang'' usually produced together with ''gula aren'' (
palm sugar
Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar is sometimes qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed ...
), ''
tuak'' (palm wine) and ''
dodol'' sweets, since all of them are the products of ''aren'' tree.
See also
*
Bajigur
*
Teh Jahe
External links
Lahang in LitaFMAren sap
References
{{Indonesian cuisine
Cold drinks
Indonesian drinks
Sundanese cuisine