Kava

Pohnpei’s sakau is one of the strongest kinds of kava – the fresh roots are pounded on a stone and squeezed through hibiscus bast.

Kava is a shrub growing 2–3 m tall, with large, heart-shaped leaves and jointed stems. It is propagated from cuttings, and the roots are harvested after several years of cultivation. On Pohnpei the fresh roots are crushed with stone pounders on a flat basalt slab, and the pulp is wrapped in hibiscus bast and wrung out to produce a thick, slimy drink. The kavalactones it contains numb the mouth and have a strongly relaxing effect.

Significance in the country

In Pohnpeian culture sakau is a ceremonial drink: the first coconut-shell cup goes to the person with the highest title, and drinking accompanies celebrations, apologies and feasts. The island has many sakau bars where locals gather in the evenings.

Where it grows

Grown above all on the island of Pohnpei – in gardens and on the damp slopes of the interior.

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