We’ve talked about this before… Kokum is used a lot in Goan curries and to make refreshing beverages. But is there more? Have we stopped only till here?
To make the Kokum fruit famous internationally, ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI) in Old Goa has created a sweet wine out of this well-known souring ingredient! Scientist, Mathala Gupta, revealed that it is a mild wine with low acidity. They want the wine to be very natural, free from added preservatives or sulphites and have some medicinal value.
One kg of kokum is used for a litre of wine. The pathologists have taken out saccharomyces, a microorganism that ferments sugar, which lets the wine have good alcohol content. Gupta hopes that the naturally-existing saccharomyces will improve wine production and enhance its aroma.
It is possible that the kokum wine will be released next year. 50% of the kokum can be directly consumed but the rest goes to waste most of the time. The ICAR-CCARI is also working on making its jackfruit wine and kokum butter better.
For us at Planet-Goa, our team is driven by that feeling of exhilaration that one gets when discovering that something ‘unique’ and ‘new’ about Goa for our ever-so-discerning readers.
