inner bark of the alim tree (Aquilaria)

Ingredients

inner bark of the alim tree (Aquilaria), rice water, rice starch

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The inner bark of the alim tree (Aquilaria) is harvested and dried (p. 595). The datu or pupil selects a sheet and selects for suitable length and width; if a single piece is insufficient, two or more pieces may be sewn or glued together (e.g., LOr 3432, where two pieces of five meters each were stitched) (p. 595, 605). The bark surface is evened with a knife and then polished using rough leaves, such as those from Ficus Ampelas burm (p. 595). Defects like splits or tears are mended with simple tacks (p. 595). The bark is folded concertina-fashion and the folds are set with a mallet (p. 597). Both front and back surfaces are finished with rice water or rice starch to improve ink adhesion (p. 597).

Evidence

"The bark was coated with a starchy substance was proven by a chemical test (iodine potassium iodide stain) on a sample from a pustaha from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB/Papierhistorische Collectie IA4:Ala4)."

Remarks

The study distinguishes the Batak pustaha as being made of crude tree bark (p. 601), differing from 'dluwang' (beaten barkcloth) and 'fuya' (refined barkcloth). Blind lines are frequently drawn on the bark parallel to the fold using a bamboo ruler (balabas) and a pointed bamboo knife (panggorit) to facilitate straight lines of text (p. 597). The presence of starch as a surface finish was instrumentally verified by chemical staining on a sample from the collection (p. 597).