Travels in India (Tavernier) 149.1.2

149.1.2

In the morning when we were ready to leave we saw on the river one of our pilots with three or four young men, who came up to us and brought the necessaries for breakfast. When they were landed and we had commenced to eat they asked for some tári, or palm wine, and the owner of the hut where we had slept offered to bring us some, which was very good, but he told us that it was strong, and that it might send fumes to the head. Our sailors jeered at that because they drank it often, and some of them had even drunk much of it without being inconvenienced. But since you drink it as soon as it is drawn from the tree, and do not allow it to ferment, if you take too much you feel it ferment in the stomach. This peasant having then brought a pot of his palm wine, each drank of it as he felt inclined, one three glasses, another four or five, and for myself I was contented with only one, which might contain nearly half a pint. But to tell the truth, we all suffered such severe headaches from it that we were two days before we were able to cure ourselves. We asked the natives of the country why this wine had thus troubled us, and they said that it was caused by the fact that pepper was planted around the palms, and that it was that which gave so much strength to this wine. We were still somewhat giddy from it when we returned on board, where a governor of the country immediately arrived to meet us and settle the price of the rice and know the quantity of it which was required.