Sago

Sago is a starch extracted from the soft, spongy core of several tropical palm species, especially Metroxylon sagu, and has served as a staple food across Southeast Asia and Melanesia, particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Palms are typically harvested between 7 and 15 years of age, just before flowering when starch reserves peak, with a single mature palm yielding 150 to 300 kilograms of starch extracted by splitting the stem, crushing and kneading the pith to release the starch, then washing and straining it. In Sarawak, Malaysia, the Melanau people make linut, a thick sticky paste from sago flour and hot water, while Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia have a similar dish called papeda usually served with fish; sago also appears in commercial noodles, bread and the Malaysian snack keropok lekor. Though nearly pure carbohydrate with little protein or other nutrients, sago remains culturally essential in tropical lowland regions where other crops are impractical.