Tuak (Sarawak)
The longhouse rice wine: tuak of Sarawak — the Iban and Dayak rice wine of Malaysian Borneo, brewed by longhouse women from glutinous rice and ragi yeast for Gawai Dayak (the harvest festival, June 1) — served to guests room by room down the longhouse gallery (the ruai), with the tuai rumah…
What it is
The longhouse rice wine: tuak of Sarawak — the Iban and Dayak rice wine of Malaysian Borneo, brewed by longhouse women from glutinous rice and ragi yeast for Gawai Dayak (the harvest festival, June 1) — served to guests room by room down the longhouse gallery (the ruai), with the tuai rumah (headman) setting the protocol. Origins: rice wine in Borneo is as old as the longhouses; Gawai's tuak is its ceremonial peak (the Sabah cousin is lihing/tapai). Made from: glutinous rice, ragi (yeast cakes with jungle herbs), fermentation in jars (tajau). How it's made: 1) Cook the rice; cool; mix ragi. 2) Ferment in jars for weeks. 3) Serve at Gawai to every guest — the longhouse rule is no empty cup. Served: at Gawai Dayak in Sarawak's longhouses, with pansuh (bamboo chicken). Flavor: sweet to dry by age, rice-warm. Strength: 10-20%. Culture: tuak is Sarawak's welcome written in rice — Gawai without it is unthinkable. Note: alcohol in Malaysia is restricted and taxed; this is the Dayak heritage tradition of Borneo. See also: Indonesia's Tuak (the palm cousin across the same island world).
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