• Latest
Sweet Memories of Kitul Pani

Sweet Memories of Kitul Pani

December 1, 2022
Investec Cape Town Art Fair

Investec Cape Town Art Fair

March 3, 2023
Discipline and Precepts are Favorable for Self-Development

Discipline and Precepts are Favorable for Self-Development

March 3, 2023
DY Patil University Centre of Excellence Opens in Navi Mumbai

DY Patil University Centre of Excellence Opens in Navi Mumbai

March 3, 2023
A Walk Down Cobblers’ Street

A Walk Down Cobblers’ Street

March 3, 2023
The Colombo Cultural Show: A Soiree into Sri Lanka’s Heart

The Colombo Cultural Show: A Soiree into Sri Lanka’s Heart

February 7, 2023
Kandy Central Market: The epitome of local ambiance

Kandy Central Market: The epitome of local ambiance

February 7, 2023
The Art of Local Writing

The Art of Local Writing

February 7, 2023
Carnival Magic

Carnival Magic

February 7, 2023
Ponniyin Selvan 1: Leveraging the Lure of History and the Power of Storytelling

Ponniyin Selvan 1: Leveraging the Lure of History and the Power of Storytelling

January 11, 2023
Rumination and Emotional Process

Rumination and Emotional Process

January 13, 2023
Segar Represents Sri Lanka in Asia Art Bienniale in Dhaka

Segar Represents Sri Lanka in Asia Art Bienniale in Dhaka

January 11, 2023
Good Conversations Start with Mlesna

Good Conversations Start with Mlesna

January 11, 2023
Retail
Monday, March 20, 2023
Subscription
Advertise
  • Home
  • Issues
    • 201_
      • 2010
        • January 2010
        • February 2010
        • March 2010
        • April 2010
        • May 2010
        • June 2010
        • July 2010
        • August 2010
        • September 2010
        • October 2010
        • November 2010
        • December 2010
      • 2011
        • January 2011
        • February 2011
        • March 2011
        • April 2011
        • May 2011
        • June 2011
        • July 2011
        • August 2011
        • September 2011
        • October 2011
        • November 2011
        • December 2011
      • 2012
        • January 2012
        • February 2012
        • March 2012
        • April 2012
        • May 2012
        • June 2012
        • July 2012
        • August 2012
        • September 2012
        • October 2012
        • November 2012
        • December 2012
      • 2013
        • January 2013
        • February 2013
        • March 2013
        • April 2013
        • May 2013
        • June 2013
        • July 2013
        • August 2013
        • September 2013
        • October 2013
        • November 2013
        • December 2013
      • 2014
        • January 2014
        • February 2014
        • March 2014
        • April 2014
        • May 2014
        • June 2014
        • July 2014
        • August 2014
        • September 2014
        • October 2014
        • November 2014
        • December 2014
      • 2015
        • January 2015
        • February 2015
        • March 2015
        • April 2015
        • May 2015
        • June 2015
        • July 2015
        • August 2015
        • September 2015
        • October 2015
        • November 2015
        • December 2015
      • 2016
        • January 2016
        • February 2016
        • March 2016
        • April 2016
        • May 2016
        • June 2016
        • July 2016
        • August 2016
        • September 2016
        • October 2016
        • November 2016
        • December 2016
      • 2017
        • January 2017
        • February 2017
        • March 2017
        • April 2017
        • May 2017
        • June 2017
        • July 2017
        • August 2017
        • September 2017
        • October 2017
        • November 2017
        • December 2017
      • 2018
        • January 2018
        • February 2018
        • March 2018
        • April 2018
        • May 2018
        • June 2018
        • July 2018
        • August 2018
        • November 2018
        • December 2018
      • 2019
        • January 2019
        • February 2019
        • March 2019
        • April 2019
        • May 2019
        • June 2019
        • July 2019
        • August 2019
        • September 2019
        • October 2019
        • November 2019
        • December 2019
    • 202_
      • 2020
        • January 2020
        • February 2020
        • March 2020
        • September 2020
        • October 2020
        • November 2020
        • December 2020
      • 2021
        • January 2021
        • February 2021
        • March 2021
        • April 2021
        • May 2021
        • June 2021
        • July 2021
        • August 2021
        • September 2021
        • October 2021
        • November 2021
        • December 2021
      • 2022
        • January 2022
        • February 2022
        • March 2022
        • April 2022
        • May 2022
        • June 2022
        • July 2022
        • August 2022
        • September 2022
        • October 2022
        • November 2022
        • December 2022
      • 2023
        • January 2023
        • February 2023
        • March 2023
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Archive
  • Find Us on Magzter
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

Sweet Memories of Kitul Pani

in Featured, September 2018
0 0
0
Delectable kitul hakuru

Welcomed by the sweet smiles of Kiriweldola, we were treated to the island’s honeyed indulgence – Kitul Pani. It is the delicious syrup made from the sap of the kitul palm (fishtail palm), the sweetener of many a traditional Sri Lankan delicacy.

Words Darrshini Parthepan
Photographs Vishwathan Tharmakulasingham and Geeth Viduranga

The dripping sap is collected into a clay pot

We only heard the crunch of gravel under our feet, the chirping of birds and gentle whisper of the breeze, as we made our way down the rugged path to reach Kiriweldola. It is a quaint village amidst a green backdrop of striking wild blooms hidden away at least two kilometres beyond the Deniyaya town.

Here we met Laal Rohitha and his family. While tea and cinnamon are their main livelihoods, Laal is also a kitul tapper. Climbing tall palms to tap the kitul mala (inflorescence) and extract its thelijja or sugary sap, is something he has done since he was a carefree 16-year-old. Calling out his wife to serve us fresh elakiri milked from his own cattle, Laal started his daily routine by diligently inspecting his tools. He ran the thin light knife over a fallen branch to sharpen the blade, satisfied, he tucked it into the waistband of his sarong. Also strapped around his waist was a clay pot tied to a rope and a wooden stick.

Commonly known as the fishtail palm or jaggery palm, kitul plants grow abundantly in the Deniyaya area. Requiring little or no attention, a matured palm can grow up to almost 40-feet, and can bear flowers twice a year. Firstly, Laal nimbly climbed up a bamboo ladder tied to the trunk of a kitul palm in his garden. This makeshift ladder is his only foothold to reach the flourish of fronds that contain the sweet syrup. Drooping with clusters of flowers, the crescent shaped kitul mala can grow up to five metres in length. Usually a kitul tree is expected to flower up to seven times during its lifespan, and while the first kitul mala is the largest, the inflorescence decreases in size until the demise of the palm.

When the kitul mala is around two months old, it is prepared for tapping. First primed by warming its base, parts of its sheath are then removed. Thereafter, a special poultice paste is tied to stimulate the flow of thelijja. In addition to being boiled down to make treacle, it can also be fermented to make frothy, white toddy. To prevent the floret from breaking, a simple wooden bracket is placed to firmly support the stem. On average thelijja can be collected to fill 100 bottles and 25-30 bottles of treacle can be made from one kitul mala.

A flourishing kitul flower

Once at the top of the kitul palm, Laal positioned himself on the scaffolding by the base of the inflorescence. After untying the draping, he made a deep incision into the kitul mala and, due to the pressure, a rain of flower clusters was released. This surreal instance is called “shedding a tear” as the kitul mala is said to lose the earthly goodness collected over the years of time.

We curiously watched as the clay pot was placed at the base of the kitul mala to collect the flow of thelijja. This smoky sap is generally collected twice a day – once early morning and later in the afternoon. Using a rope, Laal slowly lowered a clay pot brimming with thelijja to the ground and descended the palm with a smile across his face gesturing that he was happy with the yield.

Gradually the frothy white sap becomes thicker

As we approached the house, a blazing hearth had already been prepared in the garden. Handing over the pot of sap to his wife, Laal set up a large wok over the hearth into which the thelijja was poured through a peneraya (strainer). The atmosphere was infused with a sweet aroma as the white liquid gradually thickened into an amber brown. Laal’s wife constantly stirred the syrup with a giant custom-made spoon. The process takes two to three hours and is continued until the syrup reaches a delectable consistency. When the sap is boiled, a bubbly foam surface appears and it should be removed attentively. The sufficiently boiled sap was removed from the fire and the dense honey-like sap was poured into glass bottles. Laal does not need to send these bottles to the market as customers come in search of this golden sweetener. The treacle boiled further and poured into coconut shells are left to cool, which becomes melt-in-the-mouth kitul hakuru (jaggery).

Kitul pani is an important part of Sri Lankan custom. The island-favourite dessert Kiri-Pani is the blissful union of creamy meekiri (buffalo curd) and golden kitul pani. It is also the sweetener added when making traditional sweetmeats such as kavum (oil cakes), mung kavum and aasmi. Due to its healing and nutritional properties, it is a key ingredient in Ayurveda.

Tingling with sugary, woody and floral flavours, kitul pani is a purely natural Sri Lankan treat. Charmed by this exotic flavour, we bade goodbye to Laal and his family and left the little hamlet of Kiriweldola with sweet memories and bottles of golden kitul pani.

TweetShareShare

Search

No Result
View All Result

Recent News

Investec Cape Town Art Fair

Investec Cape Town Art Fair

Discipline and Precepts are Favorable for Self-Development

Discipline and Precepts are Favorable for Self-Development

DY Patil University Centre of Excellence Opens in Navi Mumbai

DY Patil University Centre of Excellence Opens in Navi Mumbai

Explore Sri Lanka

Explore Sri Lanka Online, the web edition of Sri Lanka’s leading monthly corporate publication. Founded in 1996, the magazine currently has a distribution of over 6,000 copies island-wide.

Recent News

  • Investec Cape Town Art Fair
  • Discipline and Precepts are Favorable for Self-Development
  • DY Patil University Centre of Excellence Opens in Navi Mumbai

Find Us

Explore Sri Lanka
20-2/1 Lauries Place Facing
R. A. De Mel Mawatha
Colombo 04
Sri Lanka.
(+94 11) 259 7991
(+94) 715 134 134
info@btoptions.com
btoptions.com

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 Explore Sri Lanka | Designed by Lithic Labs

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Issues
    • 201_
      • 2010
      • 2011
      • 2012
      • 2013
      • 2014
      • 2015
      • 2016
      • 2017
      • 2018
      • 2019
    • 202_
      • 2020
      • 2021
      • 2022
      • 2023
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Archive
  • Find Us on Magzter

© 2022 Explore Sri Lanka | Designed by Lithic Labs

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In