Owners of stone grape presses appeal for help

As Safir daily unveiled the danger threatening the existence of old stone grape presses in the towns and villages of Hasbaya. It warned that the forsaken traditional crushers could become a lost heritage, particularly after the fall in vine production and the farmers shift to modern press machineries. The newspaper pointed out that the molasses making season offered villagers an opportunity to work together in the vineyards, where they collected, packed and loaded the crops in the press after preparing the firewood. Then, they crushed and cooked the crops into soft molasses, cooled it down and stacked it in earthenware jars that keep them fresh through the year. As Safir said Hasbaya farmers brag about the healthy and nutritious benefits of molasses. Fares, owner of one of the stone presses, told the newspaper that he gave up the tradition after most of his contemporaries turned into the easy to use and cost effective new-fangled equipment. “There used to be 18 presses dispersed across the villages of Hasbaya and Arkoub, but now they all are at risk of extinction,” Fares grieved. Owners of stone  presses finally appealed to the authorities concerned to save the dwindling heritage of that part of the country through the restoration and upgrading of its timeworn components. (As Safir, November 9, 2015)