Sago palms in New Guinea

Sago is a powdery starch made from the processed pith found inside the trunks of the Sago Palm Metroxylon sagu. The genus name Metroxylon is derived from Greek and means heartwood, while the species name sagu is from a local name for the food. Sago forms a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas where it is often cooked and eaten as a form of pancake with fish. Sago Sago Mine disaster Sago, West Virginia Sago Lane Sago Street Sago Township, Minnesota Mount Sago Category: ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 450 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 450 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The centre dark spot (about 1 mm diameter) in this yew wood is the pith Elderberry shoot cut longitudinally to show the broad, solid pith (rough-textured, white) inside the wood (smooth, yellow-tinged). ... Binomial name Rottb. ... Metroxylon is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This page is about the geography and history of the island group in Indonesia — for the political entities encompassing the islands, see Maluku (Indonesian province) and North Maluku. ...

Sago looks like tapioca and both are pearly grains of starch, but tapioca is made from the root of the cassava plant. They are similar but are not identical when used in recipes. For other uses, see Tapioca (disambiguation). ... “Yuca” redirects here. ...

Because sago flour made from Metroxylon is the most widely used form, this article discusses sago from Metroxylon unless otherwise specified.

Sago palms grow very quickly, up to 1.5m of vertical stem growth per year, in the fresh water swamps and lowlands in the tropics. The stems are thick and either self supporting or grow with a somewhat climbing habit. The leaves are pinnate, not palmate. They are harvested at the age of 7 to 15 years just before they flower. They only flower and fruit once before they die. When harvested the stems are full of the stored starch which would otherwise be used for flowering and fruiting. The trunks are cut into sections and into halves and the starch is beaten or otherwise extracted from the "heartwood", and in some traditional methods it is collected when it settles out of water. One palm yields 150 to 300kg of starch.

Preparation

Sago (Metroxylon) is made through the following steps: Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 572 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1258 pixel, file size: 325 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 572 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1258 pixel, file size: 325 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 389 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (1038 × 1597 pixel, file size: 233 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 389 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (1038 × 1597 pixel, file size: 233 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 671 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 671 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

1. Felling the sago palm tree;
2. Splitting the trunk open lengthwise;
3. Removing the pith;
4. Crushing and kneading the pith to release the starch;
5. Washing and straining to extract the starch from the fiberous residue;
6. Collection of the raw starch suspension in a settling container.

The sago starch is then either baked (resulting in a product analogous to bread or a pancake) or mixed with boiling water to form a kind of paste. Sago can be made into steamed puddings such as sago plum pudding, ground into a powder and used as a thickener for other dishes, or used as a dense glutinous flour. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pudding can be prepared with a large variety of toppings such as fresh fruit and/or berries, and whipped cream Christmas pudding Dessert pudding Illustrations from Isabella Beetons Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management, 1861 Pudding most often refers to a dessert, but can also be a savory dish. ... A powder is a dry, bulk solid composed of a large number of very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. ... Thickening agents, or thickeners, are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties, like eg. ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous mixture of ergastic (i. ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ...

The starch has also been used to treat fibre to make it more easier to machine. This process is called sizing and helps to bind the fibre, give it a predictable slip for running on metal, standardise the level of hydration of the fibre, and give the textile more body. Most cloth and clothing has been sized and is removed in the first wash.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, sago from Metroxylon is used as a starch in making noodles, white bread, and sago pearls (similar to tapioca). In India pearl sago (a form of sago) is called Sabudana, and is used in a variety of dishes including khichdi, wafers and puddings. The source of this sago is most likely Metroxylon rather than the cycad version, and is sago not tapioca. Sabudana is the Marathi word for pearl sago. ... Khichdi (also khichdee, khichadi, khichuri, khichari and many other variants) is an Indian dish that contains a combination of rice and lentils. ... Wafer can refer to more than one thing. ...

Nutrition

Sago flour (Metroxylon) is nearly pure carbohydrate and has very little protein, vitamins, or minerals. However, as sago palms are typically found in areas unsuited for other forms of agriculture, sago cultivation is often the most ecologically appropriate form of land-use, and the nutritional deficiencies of the food can often be compensated for with other readily available foods.

One hundred grams of dry sago yields 355 calories, including an average of 94 grams of carbohydrate, 0.2 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of dietary fiber, 10mg of calcium, 1.2mg of iron, and negligible amounts of fat, carotene, thiamine, and ascorbic acid.

Sago can be stored for weeks or months, although generally it is eaten soon after it is processed.

Other Uses

In addition to its use as a food source, the leaves and spathe of the sago palm are used for construction materials, for thatching roofs, and the fibre can be made into rope.

Botany

The palm genus Metroxylon has several species. The main source of sago flour is Metroxylon sagu. It is found in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and some islands in Micronesia and Polynesia. Growing up to 30 meters in height, the sago palm is found in tropical lowland forest and freshwater swamps, and can grow in a wide variety of soils. Metroxylon is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family. ... Binomial name Rottb. ...

Cycad Sago

The Sago Cycad or "Sago Palm" (its common name but a misnomer since it is not an actual palm at all) is a slow-growing wild or ornamental plant. Binomial name Cycas revoluta Thunb. ... Petunia This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Processed starch known as sago is made from this and other cycad plants, and is a less frequent food source for some peoples of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. There is a large difference both biologically and dietarily between the two types of sago. Sago as a major dietary food source comes mainly from a palm in the genus Metroxylon. Despite their common name, cycads are not palms (i.e. they are not members of the family Arecaceae but rather from Cycadaceae, a vastly different taxonomic order: cycads, sometimes called living fossils, are gymnosperms while palms are angiosperms). Species Cycas aculeata Cycas angulata Cycas apoa Cycas arenicola Cycas armstrongii Cycas arnhemica Cycas badensis Cycas balansae Cycas basaltica Cycas beddomei Cycas bifida Cycas bougainvilleana Cycas brachycantha Cycas brunnea Cycas cairnsiana Cycas calcicola Cycas campestris Cycas candida Cycas canalis Cycas chamaoensis Cycas changjiangensis Cycas chevalieri Cycas circinalis Cycas clivicola Cycas... Metroxylon is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae or Palmae (also known by the name Palmaceae, which is taxonomically invalid. ... Species Cycas aculeata Cycas angulata Cycas apoa Cycas arenicola Cycas armstrongii Cycas arnhemica Cycas badensis Cycas balansae Cycas basaltica Cycas beddomei Cycas bifida Cycas bougainvilleana Cycas brachycantha Cycas brunnea Cycas cairnsiana Cycas calcicola Cycas campestris Cycas candida Cycas canalis Cycas chamaoensis Cycas changjiangensis Cycas chevalieri Cycas circinalis Cycas clivicola Cycas... Divisions Pinophyta (or Coniferophyta) - Conifers Ginkgophyta - Ginkgo Cycadophyta - Cycads Gnetophyta - Gnetum, Ephedra, Welwitschia The gymnosperms (Gymnospermae) are a group of spermatophyte seed-bearing plants with ovules on the edge or blade of an open sporophyll, the sporophylls usually arranged in cone-like structures. ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ...

Sago from the cycad is very different, because unlike Metroxylon, cycad seeds contain highly poisonous compounds. Consumption of cycad seeds has been implicated in the outbreak of Parkinson's Disease-like neurological disorder in various locations in the Pacific such as Guam. Highly toxic cycasin and BMAA compounds are found in most parts of the plant. These must be removed through extended processing before any part can be safely eaten. First, the pith made from the trunk, root, seeds is first ground to a coarse flour, washed carefully to leach out natural toxins, then dried and cooked to become a starchy granular fecula similar to tapioca and is used for many of the same purposes. Species Cycas aculeata Cycas angulata Cycas apoa Cycas arenicola Cycas armstrongii Cycas arnhemica Cycas badensis Cycas balansae Cycas basaltica Cycas beddomei Cycas bifida Cycas bougainvilleana Cycas brachycantha Cycas brunnea Cycas cairnsiana Cycas calcicola Cycas campestris Cycas candida Cycas canalis Cycas chamaoensis Cycas changjiangensis Cycas chevalieri Cycas circinalis Cycas clivicola Cycas... Category: ... The word grinding can mean many things: Grinding is a manufacturing process that uses friction with a rough surface to wear away or smooth the surface of a work piece - see grinding machine. ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Toxin (disambiguation). ... Starch (CAS# 9005-25-8, chemical formula (C6H10O5)n,[1]) is a mixture of amylose and amylopectin (usually in 20:80 or 30:70 ratios). ... When something is granular, it is made up of minute semi-fine particals like sand or granulated sugar. ... Fecula is a flavourless starchy ingredient amylaceous and pulverised, extracted from vegetables like tubers, rhizomes, seeds used for cooking as a food thickener. ... For other uses, see Tapioca (disambiguation). ...

References

• Flach, M. and F. Rumawas, eds. (1996). Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) No. 9: Plants Yielding Non-Seed Carbohydrates. Leiden: Blackhuys.
• Lie, Goan-Hong. (1980). "The Comparative Nutritional Roles of Sago and Cassava in Indonesia." In: Stanton, W.R. and M. Flach, eds., Sago: The Equatorial Swamp as a Natural Resource. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff.
• McClatchey, W., H.I. Manner, and C.R. Elevitch. (2005). Metroxylon amicarum, M. paulcoxii, M. sagu, M. salomonense, M. vitiense, and M. warburgii (sago palm), ver. 1.1. In: Elevitch, C.R. (ed.) Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), Holualoa, Hawaii.
• Pickell, D. (2002). Between the Tides: A Fascinating Journey Among the Kamoro of New Guinea. Singapore: Periplus Press.
• Rauwerdink, Jan B. (1986). "An Essay on Metroxylon, the Sago Palm." Principes 30(4): 165-180.
• Stanton, W.R. and M. Flach, eds., Sago: The Equatorial Swamp as a Natural Resource. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff.

External links

• Species profile for Metroxylon sagu
• Sago Festival
• http://www.knowingfood.com/tapioca/tapiocarecipe.html Asian Sago Dessert Recipes]
• http://www.fao.org/ag/agA/AGAP/FRG/AFRIS/Data/416.HTM
• http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/McClatchey/Publications/McClatcheyetal2004_Metroxylon.pdf
• http://www.plantapalm.com/vpe/photos/Species/metroxylon_sagu.htm