Flavors · Colima

Tuba

Refreshing drink made from coconut sap, harvested high in the palm and served chilled with peanuts and pieces of fruit. It arrived with Filipino influence and is the street drink most closely associated with Colima.

Traditional drink from Colima

Also known as: tuba de Colima, tuba colimense

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Colima
Colima
Tuba — Colima, Mexico
Tuba
Tuba — Colima, Mexico
Tuba
Tuba — Colima, Mexico
Tuba
Tuba — Colima, Mexico
Tuba

Tuba — Colima, Mexico

Tuba is the coconut sap, harvested high in the palm. The tubero, as the person who extracts it is called, climbs the tree, cuts the flower cluster before it becomes a coconut and fastens a container there to collect the liquid. Fresh tuba is clear, sweet and slightly acidic, and it becomes more acidic as hours pass because it begins to ferment.

The tradition is linked to the Filipinos who reached the Mexican Pacific coast in the time of the Manila Galleon. They cultivated the coconut in the region and made a fermented wine from the sap. That wine stopped being produced, but the fresh drink survived and became a symbol of Colima, where it also appears in breads and in tuba vinegar used in sauces and dishes.

In the streets and squares of Colima, vendors carry tuba in traditional containers and serve it very cold, in a glass with peanuts and pieces of fruit, like apple, on top. The drink is also sold on the Pacific coasts of Guerrero, Michoacán and Jalisco, but in Colima it gained the status of the state’s street drink, alongside tejuino and bate.

Fresh tuba is consumed for its refreshment, during hot hours, like a juice. Left to ferment, it develops alcohol content.

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Where it comes from

Colima
Drink made from coconut sap, sold on the streets throughout the state of Colima and regarded as a symbol of Coliman identity.

Ingredients

Fresh coconut sap; to serve: ice, peanuts and pieces of fruit, such as apple.

How it is eaten

Very cold, in a glass, with peanuts and chopped fruit on top, bought from street vendors.

When it is eaten

All year round, especially during hot hours.

Your questions

Questions about Tuba

What is Colima’s tuba?

It is the coconut sap, harvested high in the palm and served chilled with peanuts and pieces of fruit.

Does tuba have alcohol?

Fresh tuba is consumed as a refreshment. If left standing many hours, it ferments and develops alcohol content.

Where does the tuba tradition come from?

It is linked to the Filipinos who arrived on the Mexican Pacific during the time of the Manila Galleon and cultivated the coconut in the region.

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