THE POOR MAN’S CHIVAS REGAL (a.k.a TODDY)

Malaysia is a nice country to live in. It doesn’t cost a lot to get drunk. Nether do you have to patronize pubs to enjoy the expensive alcoholic drinks. (Mind you the tax levied on alcohol is high!).

The simple and alternative way to get drunk is to enjoy the poor man’s Chivaz Regal or Toddy. Its cheap and its powerful! Making Toddy is easy. The problem is getting the sap high up on the palm tree!

Toddy is an alcoholic drink made by fermentation of the coconut or palm sap. The fermentation of the palm sap is carried out by yeasts which occur naturally.

Historically it is generally believed that the knowledge of making Toddy was brought by the South Indian workers. And Toddy is also consumed mainly by Indians in the estate plantations.

Toddy drinking has been blamed for a lot of social problems especially among the poor. It was not uncommon years ago to see drunken Toddy drinkers walking wobbly or sleeping on the road in drunken stupor. However at the same time there are those that will swear by it for its nutritional and health values.

Toddy are commonly sold in Toddy shacks. There are a few Toddy shacks in around Kuala Lumpur where you can get yourself a glass or two of Toddy. In fact just around Brickfields at Jalan Berhala is a licensed Toddy shack. Toddy is often sell by the litre for about RM2, whereas for the same amount beer costs RM12.

The only problem with Toddy drinking it seems it lacks class. It is the poor man’s drink. Public city also do not help with problems of the Toddy drinkers who often go over board. All the drunkards and brawls are too often associated with Toddy

I guess the drunkenness is not because of the significant higher concentration of alcohol as its alcohol content is equivalent to beer. Wine got a much higher alcohol content. It must be the volume of Toddy taken over the long time spent drinking Toddy. After all Toddy is cheap!

Have you tried Toddy with curry???. I heard it is a fantastic combination

TODDY FERMENTATION
Palm sap begins fermenting immediately after collection, due to natural yeasts in the air (often spurred by residual yeast left in the collecting container). Within two hours, fermentation yields an aromatic wine of up to 4% alcohol content, mildly intoxicating and sweet. The wine may be allowed to ferment longer, up to a day, to yield a stronger, more sour and acidic taste containing about 5% alcohol, which some people prefer.

As I see it Toddy will always remain a traditional fermentation which has great potential if the whole process of Toddy fermentation undergoes the modern fermentation technology process. Repackaging it and good marketing would put the modern brewers to shame! ( Eat your heart out Guinness and Carlsberg!)








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