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Sago, a starch used as a thickener in cooking and baking, comes from the sago palm, which grows in Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia. The tree must be cut down to extract the starch, which is then kneaded, filtered, and dried. Sago is used to make pudding, flour, noodles, and porridge. The sago palm should not be confused with Cycas revoluta, which is poisonous.
Sago is a starch that comes from the sago palm. Like many other starches such as corn or potato starch, it is used in cooking and baking as a thickener. It can also be used to stiffen fabrics.
The sago palm commonly grows in Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia. It usually takes about 15 years for the tree to mature and its starch to become usable. To remove the starch, the tree must be cut down and the material, or pith, dug out of it. After the marrow was extracted, workers beat it using sticks or knives to remove the starch. Then they wet the marrow and kneaded it to extract more starch.
After kneading the wet marrow, workers push it through a filter, such as a food bag, and squeeze out the starchy water. They continue to squeeze the marrow until all the starch is removed. The water flows out of the starch, which is collected in containers and left to dry completely.
Sago is commonly used to make a pudding known as gula or goula. The starch used in the pudding can be in ground form or in the shape of balls. A person makes gula by mixing starch with water and boiling it. After the sago and water have been allowed to sit for a few minutes, the excess water is strained off and the remaining sago is mixed with coconut milk. The pudding is usually served with a sweet palm syrup.
Dry starch is also often used as a flour and can be mixed into dough to make a food that is something like a bread or cookie. In Papua New Guinea, it is often spread thinly on a pan and baked into a pancake. It can also be a primary ingredient in noodles.
In India, sago is used in the form of small beads or pearls that closely resemble the tapioca pearls used in bubble tea drinks. The pearl form is known as Sabudana and is often used to make a kind of porridge known as Khichdi. Khichdi is commonly eaten for breakfast.
The starch-producing palm that grows in New Guinea and Southeast Asia should not be confused with Cycas revoluta, which is commonly grown as a houseplant and also known as the sago palm. Cycas revoluta is not actually a palm tree. No part of the plant should be eaten, as it is poisonous to both humans and animals.
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