Stone knocks on stone, again and again, as fresh kava root breaks apart on a flat slab of basalt. Water goes onto the fibres half a coconut shell at a time, hands work it in, and then the whole damp mass is wrapped in a long strip of hibiscus bark and twisted until a cloudy grey-brown liquid runs out. That liquid is sakau, the kava of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. It pours slightly thick and a little slippery from the bark's sap, and it is drunk from a coconut-shell cup soon after it is wrung.
Sakau on Pohnpei: Stones, Bark and Shared Work
Sakau is the Pohnpeian name for kava, the drink made from the root of the pepper plant Piper methysticum. Across the Pacific, kava turns up in many forms, and on several islands it is made from dried, ground root strained through cloth. Pohnpei works with fresh root. It is pounded on basalt, loosened with water and squeezed through the inner bark of Hibiscus tiliaceus, the sea hibiscus. The stone, the water and the bark, in that order, are what make the drink Pohnpeian.
The making itself is a shared job. One person pounds, the root is kneaded with water, and when the bark bundle is ready two people take hold of it and twist together until the liquid comes.
Where sakau is poured
Sakau has its place at rituals, important events and festivals, and it is part of the occasions that hold a community together: feasts, marriage proposals, and the moment one family asks another for forgiveness. In ceremony, the order in which cups are handed out carries meaning, and it follows the people and the occasion.
Sakau is also part of daily life now. Sakau bars serve it to customers, and the drink has moved from the ceremonial ground into ordinary social life. Both settings exist side by side on the island today, and how a gathering runs depends on who is hosting it.
Sakau is the drink and the plant on Pohnpei. The flat pounding stone is called peitehl (the spelling varies), and the sea hibiscus whose inner bark does the squeezing is called kohlo. Garden hibiscus with its large flowers is a different plant and plays no part here.
Ingredients
Add the water half a coconut shell at a time and knead it in fully before the next addition. Pouring it all at once floods the fibres and gives a thin, weak drink.
Equipment
- A broad, flat stone (peitehl) for pounding
- A rounded hand stone for striking
- A stiff brush and a clean basin for washing the root
- A half coconut shell for scooping water
- A clean bowl to catch the liquid
- Coconut-shell cups, one per person
Choosing the Root and the Bark
Fresh kava root is what Pohnpei sakau is made from. Choose a noble variety with the skin removed, and buy it only as a product sold as food or drink. Dried kava powder makes kava of a different kind, the style strained through cloth on other islands, and it cannot stand in for the fresh-root, stone-pounded drink.
The bark matters as much as the root. The right material is the inner bark of Hibiscus tiliaceus, a long, pale, fibrous strip from under the outer bark, which softens when wet and gives up a slippery sap into the drink. Flowers and leaves of any hibiscus, ornamental garden hibiscus and the hibiscus sold for tea are other plants or other parts, and none of them replaces it.
Buy root and bark only from sellers who offer them for food or drink. Never use wild-picked plants, garden plants or ornamental hibiscus, and leave out anything you cannot identify with certainty.
Method
The whole job runs without heat and in one sitting. Wash the root first, then set up the stones, the water and the bark before you start pounding, because once the water goes in the work moves straight on to wrapping, wringing and pouring. Drink it soon after it is made, so start only when the people who will share it are ready.
Kava is not sold as a food in Japan, and people with liver problems, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who take medicines or alcohol should not drink it.
When It Goes Wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The drink is thin and watery | Too much water went in at once | Add water only half a coconut shell at a time and knead each addition fully before the next |
| Little liquid comes out of the bundle | The root is too dry, or it was pounded too little | Open the bark, knead in another half shell of water and wring again; pound longer next time until no hard pieces remain |
| Fibres and bits float in the cup | The bark tore, or the bundle was not closed | Soften the bark further before wrapping and fold it fully around the root |
| Grit on the tongue or at the bottom of the cup | Soil was left in the root's joints | Discard the batch, then scrub the next root until no grit shows in the crevices |
| The bark cracks when folded | It was not wetted and rubbed long enough | Wet it again and rub until it bends like damp cloth |
Serving Sakau
Sakau belongs where people gather, whether that is a ceremony, a feast, a family occasion or a visit to a sakau bar. The coconut-shell cup is the vessel, and at a gathering the host decides who drinks first and in what order the cups go round.
The drink is made for the moment. Drink it soon after it is wrung, and make a fresh batch rather than keeping one. Throw away the used root and bark after every batch, and rinse the stones and bowl with drinking water before the next one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does sakau contain alcohol?
No. The drink is only root, water and the sap of the bark, with nothing fermented or added. It is still a drink with an effect on the body, which is why the precautions above the method matter.
Can I use a cloth bag instead of hibiscus bark?
The bark is what makes the drink Pohnpeian. It does the squeezing and also puts its slippery sap into the sakau, which gives the drink its slight thickness. Straining through cloth belongs to the dried-kava styles of other islands.
Why does it need two people?
The bundle has to be held still at one end while it is twisted at the other, and that is a two-person grip.
