Nakamal is the term used to describe social clubs that exist on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is known for its mountainous and volcanic climate, as well as it’s agriculture. Vanuatu’s economy is largely supported by trade, and kava is at the heart of it.
Kava use varies greatly across the islands, as different regions in Vanuatu produce different types of kava. Kava is also recognized spiritually in many different ways, with dozens of different stories contributing to the purpose and origin story of kava.
For about a hundred years (roughly 1880-1980), drinking kava was banned in Vanuatu, due to the Christian missionaries installed on the island. After 1980, Nakamals opened back up. Nakamals are meeting places where islanders socialize and consume kava. Historically, only men visited nakamals, but today there are several that are open to both men and women.
In the past, men would drink kava nad socialize, while women would serve kava. This practice was part leisure (for the men at least) and partially designed for men to choose a mate. For this reason, is a man is in a nakamal, his female relatives are not to be serving kava on that day.
Kava is typically served in a coconut shell, or “bilo”, and it is drank all at once. Today’Vanuatu has embraced using technology to grind kava, but there are still several regions in Vanuatu that grind kava by hand. In some areas, you may encounter people chewing up the kava root and spitting it out as a form of brewing.
Nakamals tend to be very simple in construction. Many Nakamals are wooden structures with a wooden ber, which serve kava out of a bucket. Some are nicer, and have running water. Though the vast majority of Nakamals today are used to serve the purpose of getting people together to feel good, there are still a few that are heavily decorated and have an atmosphere of what we may expect from a kava bar in the United States.
Nakamals in Vanuatu serve fresh kava, which is understood to be much better than serving the dried out root brewed into a tea after the fact, like we do in the United States. Fresh kava is said to have a less bitter, more rich flavor, and is much more potent than kava brewed from dried powder. This is because in order for dried and brewed kava to have the same potency as fresh kava, it would have to be brewed extremely thickly, which would still diminish the kava experience.
People in the United States drink kava very differently from people in Vanuatu and other islands. There is typically no spiritual connection between the kava drinker and the kava in the United States. Additionally, kava bars are held to a much higher architectural standard than Vanuatu’s Nakamals. Many people in the United States also drink kava in a variety of different forms. People will drink kava as a brewed tea, eat it in capsule form, use extracts, or drink micronized kava (which I will be writing about soon). It is clear why so many people on the islands of Vanuatu enjoy kava, and it is wonderful to be able to appreciate the history of something you so greatly enjoy.
Nakamal is the term used to describe social clubs that exist on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is known for its mountainous and volcanic climate, as well as it’s agriculture. Vanuatu’s economy is largely supported by trade, and kava is at the heart of it.
Kava use varies greatly across the islands, as different regions in Vanuatu produce different types of kava. Kava is also recognized spiritually in many different ways, with dozens of different stories contributing to the purpose and origin story of kava.
For about a hundred years (roughly 1880-1980), drinking kava was banned in Vanuatu, due to the Christian missionaries installed on the island. After 1980, Nakamals opened back up. Nakamals are meeting places where islanders socialize and consume kava. Historically, only men visited nakamals, but today there are several that are open to both men and women.
In the past, men would drink kava nad socialize, while women would serve kava. This practice was part leisure (for the men at least) and partially designed for men to choose a mate. For this reason, is a man is in a nakamal, his female relatives are not to be serving kava on that day.
Kava is typically served in a coconut shell, or “bilo”, and it is drank all at once. Today’Vanuatu has embraced using technology to grind kava, but there are still several regions in Vanuatu that grind kava by hand. In some areas, you may encounter people chewing up the kava root and spitting it out as a form of brewing.
Nakamals tend to be very simple in construction. Many Nakamals are wooden structures with a wooden ber, which serve kava out of a bucket. Some are nicer, and have running water. Though the vast majority of Nakamals today are used to serve the purpose of getting people together to feel good, there are still a few that are heavily decorated and have an atmosphere of what we may expect from a kava bar in the United States.
Nakamals in Vanuatu serve fresh kava, which is understood to be much better than serving the dried out root brewed into a tea after the fact, like we do in the United States. Fresh kava is said to have a less bitter, more rich flavor, and is much more potent than kava brewed from dried powder. This is because in order for dried and brewed kava to have the same potency as fresh kava, it would have to be brewed extremely thickly, which would still diminish the kava experience.
People in the United States drink kava very differently from people in Vanuatu and other islands. There is typically no spiritual connection between the kava drinker and the kava in the United States. Additionally, kava bars are held to a much higher architectural standard than Vanuatu’s Nakamals. Many people in the United States also drink kava in a variety of different forms. People will drink kava as a brewed tea, eat it in capsule form, use extracts, or drink micronized kava (which I will be writing about soon). It is clear why so many people on the islands of Vanuatu enjoy kava, and it is wonderful to be able to appreciate the history of something you so greatly enjoy.