New Year’s Eve came early in the Test Kitchen, as we’re busy mixing, shaking, and vetting potential recipes to help you ring in 2009. Of course the main focus is on cocktails but, to mix it up, we’re including some nonalcoholic drinks too. The most anticipated is one made with kava root because we knew pretty much nothing about it until a few weeks ago except that it’s a popular libation in the South Pacific. It may merely be a root, but quite a controversy surrounds kava: It’s not FDA-approved and is said to have a variety of side effects from numbing of the mouth to, in extreme cases, liver toxicity.
Never ones to turn away from an adventure, we started concocting drinks as soon as the powder arrived from the mailroom. We started off by blending up kava root, yogurt, milk, sugar, vanilla extract—a sort of kava lassi, if you will. But it tasted more like a wet cardboard smoothie or, as Amy named it, “Milky Sawdust Delight.” Adela stepped in to work her magic, and after a little more research convinced us that the way to go was to treat the kava root powder like a tea and steep it. We also decided to ditch the lassi angle and focus on improving the taste. A few minutes later, we apprehensively sipped on the newest iteration. It was so much better—like a coconut- and earthy-flavored cocoa—that we poured it over ice and toasted Adela as today’s MVT (most valuable tester).
Oh, and as for the side effects, they’re for real. For the next hour we had tingly mouths, light sensitivity, and a boost of energy similar to that experienced from taking guarana extract. I mean, I was so buzzing with energy it was like I had swallowed a beehive. Luckily, though it’s worn off, I feel more relaxed than if I had slept 12 hours, and I’m looking forward to the next test.
I had it often while in Fiji, where the root is called waca or yangona, and the drink is called kava or grog. The “real stuff,” meaning, taking the actual roots, pounding it, putting into any sort of cloth, swishing it around in the tanoa and repeatedly squeezing it out and swishing it around again, the resulting liquid looks like muddy water, and tastes pretty much like what it looks like, but with a slightly peppery numbing effect to the mouth. I never really experienced the boost of energy, only a sense of calm and euphoria. This was always followed by hours of nice peaceful sleep.
Most Fijians are not casual about drinking this, but more or less look at this as part of a ceremonial ritual. Typically, one of the junior males is responsible for the making of kava in the ceremonial kava bowl (tanoa), while the leaders, elders, and guests partake in its drinking. Half a coconut shell (bilo) is filled and offered to one of many sitting in a circle around the Tanoa, and upon being offered the drink, one claps once loudly and tilts one’s head toward the offerer, takes the coconut shell, and drinks the kava in one long (or short) sip. The drinker returns the shell to the preparer, claps three times again, and most will utter, “maatha!” which means empty!
It’s customary to brink some sort of practical gift like foodstuffs when visiting villages in Fiji. Life in most parts is still very basic. However, if you bring a kilo or two of some good yangona roots for the village leader, you will be remembered and honored for eternity. And while the archetype Fijians are relatively conservative in their social views, they are not ones to pass up a good chaser with their grog. If you bring in some liquor, they will pretty much adopt you as one of their own – as long as you keep bringing the good stuff…
bulavinaka, that sounds like a blast! Nothing goes with a mouth-numbing drink like a good old-fashioned ritual.
What’s a trip to Fiji run for these days?
From where did Chow test kitchen purchase the Kava?
Mixolidia: since the test kitchen isn’t answering, this is where I get my kava root powder from:
http://www.realkava.com
Excellent quality and very fast shipping. They only sell lateral root powder, I think, which is the highest quality and safest kava.