Tuak

 Tuak is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented rice, yeast and sugar and drank in Indonesia such as Sumatra, Sulawesi, Penang Islands, Borneoand East Malaysia. The beverage is a popular drink among the Ibans of Sarawak during the Gawai festivals, weddings, hosting of guests and other special occasions.

Preparation: cooked glutinous rice is spread thin and left to cool on flat surfaces, usually metallic utensils. An equivalent weight of yeast (ragi) is added, which will produce bitter Tuak. For sweet Tuak, sliced ragi is added instead. The yeast is pounded into powder and mixed with the rice after it has cooled and the mixture left to ferment in jars for 10 days. Sugar is added to boiling water (typically 1 kg of sugar to every 2 liters of water, but the mix can be varied depending on the preference for the level of sweetness) and the cooled syrup is added to the fermented mixture. Cool, boiled water plus sugar (syrup) is added to this mixture. The Tuak is ready to be served or as with the locals, it is preferably left to stand for another 10 days for the taste to mature. The longer the Tuak is kept, the more concentrated it would become.