By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Nungua, Aug. 4, GNA – The traditional method of tapping palm wine continues to be effective despite technological advancement, a palm wine tapper at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region has said.
Mr. Emmanuel Mensah, the palm wine tapper, said although palm wine tapping was facing an uncertain future due to climate change and modernity, the traditional techniques and ways of tapping passed on through generations had survived the test of time.
Palm wine is a sweet milky liquid extracted from the sap of a palm tree, which has been an important traditional alcoholic beverage in different communities for generations in Ghana and other African countries.
People take palm wine as a snack with grilled meat, groundnut, plantains, and hot pepper soup for various reasons, including relaxation, cultural significance, celebrations and festivities, as well as for traditional medicines and a lot more.
Mr Mensah told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that tapping palm wine required special skills and knowledge, hence the need to hire experts to tap it.
He said he inherited the skill from his father in his primary school days, saying that the business was booming those days and people could gather in groups, especially on weekends, to have a drink.
Mr. Mensah said with over 50 years of experience, he could attest to the fact that palm wine was the best beverage to drink, whether sweet or fermented, adding that it was nutritious and healthier compared to the fizzy and other alcoholic beverages that people take.
GNA