They Beat it to a Pulp

This week the boys and I had a truly PNG experience.  The making of Sago or sak sak, as they call it in some parts of the country.  Sago is made from the sago palm,  like the one standing behind Kaleb here.  Sago is the nationals  main source of food here in the lower parts of the country.  They extract the starch that is found in the pulpy inside of the tree.                                      

Making sago is a very labor intensive job.  They first have to cut down the tree, after it has gone to seed and then cut away the bark until they get into the meat of the palm.  They then proceed to chip away at the pulp inside a little at a time making it into small shavings that they can rinse. The section that this women was working on was going to take her all day and getting this tree finished was going to be an all week project

The tool that Rosinna was using was a club carved out of wood with a little tin can fit on the end.  This made it hard enough to chip away at the wood. She was working in stages each time going about 6" deeper into the trunk. This tree was close to our house but they often have to go out into the jungles into the sago swamps.                                                                     

I had my turn at it.  We will just say it would have taken longer than a week and I would have been mighty sore.  These PNG women are tough girls! You have to be careful not to take to big of chunks off.           

After Rosinna finished chipping the palm she hauled it up the hill to where her daughter was doing the washing and the rinsing of the pulp. This contraption was built just for this week.  They would build a new one each time they make sago.  The upper basin is where they rinse the pulp and then the juices with the starch run down the shoot into the collection basin at the bottom                                                             

Reta would continue to dump water over the pulp and squeeze and wash it until it ran clear. 

After the pulp runs clean Reta would just toss it out and get some fresh stuff.  She had a long day of squishing and washing                                                              

I had to include this picture.  This little one is the youngest daughter of the lady who was taking the pulp out the tree and the other women is the oldest daughter in the family.  She was quite taken with the boys and was following them all over. She was pretty cute!             

And here we have the final product before they dry it.  They let the starch settle into the bottom of the basin and then drain the water off the top.  As I was watching Rosinna dig it out I was taken with how much it looked and acted like oobleck that the boys and I have played with.  You know when you mix corn starch with water until it is a paste.  Really that is all that it is, starch!  There is not a whole lot of nutritional value.  The people eat sago every meal as the biggest portion of there food.  They either fry it over the fire or they boil it or put it in banana leaves to steam it.  I really must say that it is not my favorite things.  It has not much taste and the texture is a lot like rubber, very chewy and gluey!  This weekend however we had some at a bung (potluck) that was mixed with banana and it was alright.  I'm not sure I could live off it.

 

The boys and I have been invited back in about a month or so after the palm has had time to die down a bit and the sago grubs have had time to grow.  Great big fat juicy ones!  We will see who is brave enough to try those!  GULP!

Mel for the Marshes