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By
: Ly Vanna, Picture by : John Seow.
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The Palm
Tree, known better in Khmer as Deum Tnort, is seen
in every corner of Khmer territory. Some Khmer people
believe that the Deum Tnort is symbol of the Khmer
territorial border. ‘Where there is Deum Tnort
(palm tree) then that area is considered as being
a part of Cambodia’. Inevitably however, reality
is somewhat more complex.
The Ministry of Agriculture magazine notes that
Deum Tnort grows also in India, Thailand, Burma,
Malaysia, and a few other countries in the world.
There are two kinds of Deum Tnort. The female Tnort
bears fruits that will eventually go to seed. The
male does not although it does produce flowers that
are shaped like a big candle. When not working in
the paddy fields, many Khmers spend their spare
time working on their Deum Tnort. Deum Tnort renders
many |
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| products for Khmer
people. Every part of it can produce a variety of useful
items. Trump, which is black in color, is used as wood
to construct shelters or to build boats. Some kinds of
mats hats fans or the roof of most Khmer houses are made
from Deum Tnort leaves. Its fruit is edible and can be
used as a vegetable or for making cakes (when the fruit
become ripe). Ropes can be made from the part of the tree
called Keuv. Other parts of the tree are used to make
traditional medicine and its flower can be made into sweet
and alcoholic beverages. "I spend about one week
to prepare those flowers to get nectar. After that I start
getting nectar every day. I can get nectar every season
if Deum Tnort bears flowers but the best time is in the
dry season, especially in March and April when I can get
more nectar than other times." Mr. Ou Oeurn, 48,
a nectar maker in Dorng Kor district said. He noted "
I get around 15 liters of nectar every day from a single
Deum Tnort and female trees give more nectar than the
male plants." Mr. Oeurn, holding his bicycle carefully
with the full bamboo containers on it, said that he drives
into Phnom Penh every day to try and sell about 30 to
40 liters. The sweet or sour nectar is cheap at a cost
of only 500 riel per liter or 1000 riel per bamboo container.
It's an inexpensive beverage to have and you are guaranteed
a happy time with your family or your friends. Sometimes
nectar can cause diarrhea if it is not prepared carefully
and well, or it is mixed with unsafe water. There are
several places where this nectar is sold. A well-known
place is one along Russian Confederation Blvd next to
the Royal University of Phnom Penh Building on campus
II. Because it's on the road to Pochentong airport, many
people call the sour nectar Pochentong Beer or some people
call |
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| ko kho kor
(k x K) beer or Chorntheang beer (to step on the
midrib of palm tree), but some refer to it as the
___ Beer or ChunTeang Beer. Another place to purchase
this beverage is along national road No 2 on the
way to Phnom Ta Mao zoo. "I like to drink the
sour nectar because it keeps me healthy; on a hot
day sour nectar keeps the temperature in our body
low but to over drink is not a good idea!"
said Mr. Phorn, 57, a villager of Kompong Chhnang
province. But an old woman of the same village,
Mrs. Chann, 60, gave an idea that sweet nectar mixed
with cold rice in the morning is delicious! Her
experience is that this provides a very nice breakfast
for her. "Sometimes my nectar is bought to
export to the United States. The customer puts a
piece of chemical in the nectar and then they can
keep its quality for about one to two weeks."
Mr. Chan, 49, a nectar maker from Kompong Cham said.
Nectar has two tastes, sweet and sour. The natural
nectar is sweet but it can be changed to sour alcoholic
nectar. Sweet nectar can be dried and made into
red sugar. Vinegar can be made from sour nectar.
"70 liters of nectar can make about 7 to 10
kilos of red sugar. The amount of sugar depends
on how sweet the nectar is" said Mr. Sath Oun,
36, an old hand of sugar making in Praseth, Oudong
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| district. Mr.
Oun also pointed out that the nectar from trees that are
grown on less fertilized and less watered soil is sweeter
and nicer than those that are grown on more fertilized
and more watered soil. No one knows the exact number of
Deum Tnort in the country but it is estimated to be well
over 3 million. A strong healthy tree can grow to a height
of up to 20 meters with thousands of small roots supporting
it strongly. Whatever the height, some Khmer elders advice
their children not to climb the palm trees during or after
a rainfall since they can slip and fall down easily. Mr.
Sath Oun said a palm tree could survive two or three lifetimes
of a human being. He noted that he and his father have
climbed the same trees. With his 70 year-old father still
alive it is likely that Mr. Oun 's son will climb the
same tree too. To climb up to the top is not easy and
if the climber is careless or is drunk they can easily
have an accident. Some people use bamboo to support their
climbing and some others do not. However one person can
climb and tap between 20 to 40 Deum Tnort a day. There
are no palm tree farms in Cambodia. Deum Tnort grows throughout
the country but the most productive areas are Kompong
Speu, Kompong Thom, Takeo and Kompot. It grows best in
an area with a wet climate. The government announced that
the cutting of palm trees is the cutting of the Khmer
soul and destroying oneself. The future of the palm tree
in Cambodia is uncertain; they may even face the danger
of extinction if people keep cutting them down. If one
Deum Tnort is cut down every day it could mean the future
Khmer generations will only know Deum Tnort from pictures
and not the real trees. |
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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