Traditional Drinks
Kao
Outer Islands (Nanumea / Nanumaga / Niutao / Nui / Vaitupu / Nukufetau / Nukulaelae / Niulakita), Tuvalu
Kao is fermented coconut toddy made by leaving fresh kaleve to ferment into a cloudy, mildly alcoholic Tuvaluan drink.
Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Kao.
Kao is fermented coconut toddy made by leaving fresh kaleve to ferment into a cloudy, mildly alcoholic Tuvaluan drink.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
Look for a cloudy sweet-sour toddy with a strong fermented aroma; it should be identified as an outer-island coconut drink, not imported beer.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Kao.
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
Keep exploring
If this caught your eye…
India
Aam Panna
आम पanna
A cooling summer drink made from raw mangoes, sugar, and spices. It is green, tangy, and refreshing.
Benin
Adoyo
A sweet drink from fermented corn water (ogui) with lemon and lemongrass; low alcohol (1-2%); a refreshing Beninese beverage; served cold.
Dominican Republic
Agua de Pana
A Dominican drink of breadfruit (pana) boiled and blended with milk, sugar, and cinnamon, served cold. A rich, tropical, starchy beverage, especially in the Cibao.
Colombia
Agua de Panela
A Colombian drink of panela dissolved in water, served hot with cheese and bread for breakfast in the highlands. The everyday Andean beverage.
Limón, Costa Rica
Agua de Sapo
Caribbean drink with panela (unrefined sugar), ginger, and lime, called 'toad water' for its color, refreshing and spicy.
Lithuania
Poppy-Seed Milk
Aguonų pienas
Poppy-seed "milk" served with kuciukai at Kūčios.
Benin
Akpan
A fermented maize drink with a yogurt-like consistency; white and slightly acidic; a ceremonial drink; sometimes called 'Beninese yogurt'; sold in bags at markets.
Argentina
Aloja
A fermented drink from Santiago del Estero and the Chaco, made from carob (algarroba) pods and water. A pre-Hispanic, mildly alcoholic drink of the dry northwest.