Products from the palm tree

Diverse products from palmyra palm

Along the communes and wards of the Bay Nui area, the scene of rows of palm trees growing tall in the middle of the rice fields creates a peaceful rural picture, leaving a special impression on visitors. Palm trees are drought-resistant, flood-resistant, sun-loving, and can live up to 100 years, with tall trunks and wide foliage. Normally, trees 10 years old or older begin to flower and bear fruit, with an average of 50-60 fruits per bunch. Old fruits have smooth, glossy brown skin, thick flesh, sweet and fragrant water. Trees 30-40 years old can flower, produce fruit and water all year round. For a long time, palm products have helped many households, especially the Khmer people, improve their livelihoods.

Palmyra palm tree is closely associated with the life of Khmer people.

The palm tree has many uses: the leaves are used for painting, the trunk is used to make houses or household items. The palm juice and fruit are famous specialties, loved by tourists. Along Provincial Road 948, from Tri Ton Commune to Tinh Bien Ward, it is not difficult to find refreshment shops with the main dish being palm juice, along with many specialties such as caramelized palm juice and palm sugar for sale to serve tourists. Ms. Nguyen Thi My Ngoc, a resident of Tinh Bien Ward who has been involved in the business of selling palm products for many years, said: “There are many selling points along this route, but there are still many customers, especially during the pilgrimage to Cam Mountain. They often stop to rest, drink cold palm juice or buy palm sugar as gifts for relatives and friends.”

Palm sugar specialty

Palm sugar is a specialty of An Giang , made from palm flower water and is famous everywhere. From the flowers on the top of tall trees, people cut the stems to get the water, bring it home to cook into sugar. This step seems simple but is very elaborate. The person who collects the water must use bamboo to tie a ladder to climb to the top of the tree, cut the stems and place a bamboo stick to lead the water into the bottle. After that, the water is carefully cooked to produce a batch of golden, sweet and fragrant sugar.

Among the products made from the palm tree, palm molasses from Palmania Joint Stock Company, located in Tri Ton commune, stands out. The products are produced using traditional manual methods of the Khmer people in the Bay Nui region, meeting the standards of purity, cleanliness and preserving the characteristic flavor of palm molasses. Palmania products are now available in many provinces and cities across the country. Ms. Chau Ngoc Dieu - General Director of Palmania Joint Stock Company shared: “Born and raised in the mountains, I witnessed people struggling to make palm molasses at the end of the year. I want to maintain this traditional profession by producing clean, pure products that can enhance the brand of my hometown's specialties.”

Products from the palm tree bring economic value

The most difficult part of making honey is maintaining its natural quality. Traditionally, people put pieces of sen wood in the jar to collect the honey to limit sour fermentation - a manual process that requires the nectar to be cooked within 8 hours of harvesting, so it is very laborious.

After many years of research, Palmania has successfully developed palm syrup, palm syrup powder and palm syrup granules. Despite the change in form, the products still retain their natural flavor, color and mineral content. All three products have been recognized as national OCOP products in 2024.

Article and photos: MY LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/san-vat-tu-cay-thot-not-a424661.html