BAHAR

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Tuaran is the home of the Suang Lotud who is famous for their unique traditional liquor, called bahar, Its popularity is second only to the well known tapai. (toddy made from coconut sap mixed with a special kind of tree bark known locally as rosok which makes the sap colored red, Without the rosok, bahar tastes very much like sherry). This drink has been confirmed by chemists to have a high content of anti-oxidants. It is unfortunate, however, that this drink would taste very pungent and unpleasant to the uninitiated, and it goes bad very fast, becoming sour within a day.

Bahar is an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of the coconut tree. not to be confused with the whiskey Chivas Regal - "taste the same, high the same...but its not the same".
 
Although in Borneo, Bahar is known to be a popular drink in Tuaran district, Not many know that this is a popular drink in different parts of the world - it is just called by different names. In Africa it is known as "legmi", in south India it is called "kallu". In Sri Langka, Myanmar, Philipines and Sabah, it is referred to as "bahar" or "goribon". In western Maxico, people call it "tuba".
 

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Preparation of "Bahar":
Bahar is made from young coconut trees as old trees usually do not produce good bahar. The process of making bahar is quite simple.

 

Find a young coconut tree and bend its shoot by tying it to a stalk which is a few inches below it. Leave it like that for at least 2 weeks. A bamboo ladder is placed against the tree to best used later for climbing the tree to collect the sap. After 2 weeks, untie the shoot and with a sharp knife, cut off the tip.




A special kind of wood bark call rosok is mixed with coconut sap,So that the coconut sap will look RED after its dip through the ROSOK.Otherwise it only produce bahar in it original sap colour.






This is usually done in the evening. A special container called tanggung or tukil is then placed at its tip to collect the sap that flows out. 





The container must be securely fastened to the shoot so that the juice does not spill. It must also be covered with a piece of cloth to keep out dirt and insects.Bahar is made from the sap collected from the cut flower shoot of the coconut tree  can collect the sap. Up to 2 gallons (10 liters)  a day can be collected from each tree as follows..........





The sap that is initially collected is very sweet and non-alcoholic - the sap has to be left to ferment for a few hours to become Bahar. The coconut sap has a short shelf life as fermentation starts within a few hours of collection. If left too long, it proceeds to quickly becomes vinegar – unless it is distilled to form a stronger alcoholic drink.