Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, is very famous for Homo floresiensis on the Liang Bua site, beautiful nature, friendly people, unique cultural traditions and various garden produce including coffee, cloves and vanilla. In addition, people in Sikka District have a special ability to make traditional drinks.
Moke is a beverage with a high alcohol content and they make use of traditional methods that are passed down from generation to generation and are still carried out today. Making is done in gardens using earthenware for cooking. A bottle of moke takes 5 hours because it waits for droplets after droplets from a bamboo distillation device.
The best quality moke is only served on weekends and traditional events including weddings as a companion to the main dish and also served betel and areca nut which are consumed by women. Low quality moke can be found in stalls for IDR 20,000 a bottle.
People in Flores usually consume moke with a variety of snacks including sour fish, grilled fish, goat soup and grilled banana. Banquets are often done outside such as on the beach, in the yard and under the trees.
Making moke
Harvesting begins by storing flower water in the tree into a bamboo tube 15 cm in diameter and 1 meter in length. Flower selection is the most important process to be able to produce quality and quantity of water. Palm buds are opened using a knife carefully. Flowers are sliced about 0.5 cm and water is collected with bamboo.
Bamboo must be filled with betel lime or special leaves to prevent acidic water. Storage is carried out in the morning and evening because it has to climb a 19 meter tall tree. A 15-year-old trees produce 8-10 liters which have been collected for approximately one day. The water is then given onion and basil leaves to be ready to serve as a drink.
Farmer treatment
Weasels will sow Asian palmyra palm and sugar palm seeds, while humans reap the rewards after becoming large. This animal takes and brings fruit to safe places for food. Palm seeds are left to fall to the ground and grow. The garden owner will not cut down and let the two trees grow naturally on dry land.
Farmers only clean around the trees once in the growing season and these trees continue to live wildly without fertilization and special treatment although they provide many benefits including water for moke, sopi and sugar ingredients.
Now moke is also used as one of the raw materials for fermentation of vegetable fertilizers and pesticides for cocoa and palm fiber to make brooms and roofs. Sugar palm fruit causes itching of the skin to dispel mouse pests that intend to attack rice plants.
Traditional farmers greatly value the sugar palm tree where the root system raises the surface of the soil to become fertile. This plant also prevents erosion if it floods during the rainy season. Both trees must not be disturbed at all by humans and the threat of destruction from outside parties is always monitored.
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