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Chicha - Drink of the IncasLatin America's Fermented Corn Drink and the Fiesta de la JoraVisitors to Latin America will, at some point in their travels, come across a traditional drink called chicha, a type of fermented beverage common in the region.
Chicha, a pale yellow, milky drink common throughout Latin America, originated with the Incas, who used the drink during festivals and other rituals. Nowadays, chicha remains an important part of the region’s indigenous past, and can be found in a variety of settings, from the dinner table to a wedding or baptism! A Culinary TraditionTraditionally, Inca women made this important drink by chewing corn to a pulp and then spitting the mixture into a vat of warm water. These women (actually girls of ages 8-10), called Acllas or Acllacunas, were sent to all-female schools called Acllahuasis to learn the art of brewing chicha, among other things. Once the corn was masticated and spit into the warm water, it would sit for a few days before it was ready to drink. The end result was a mildly alcoholic beverage. Serving Chicha Chicha is often served communally, to foster a sense of community and solidarity, and encourage a sense of equality. It is generally served in a small, hollowed-out gourd, called a pilche, and passed from person to person. In traditional communities, it would be considered offensive to refuse to share a drink of chicha, and so visitors are told that they must sip it in order to avoid stepping on anyone’s cultural toes. Chicha Today Indigenous communities around Latin American, including the countries of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, still make chicha. In some cases, the recipe has changed and been adapted a bit over the years, however. In Ecuador, for instance, it is conventionally made with jora, a type of dry yellow maize, but is not usually masticated first. As in the days of the Incas, chicha de jora is left to ferment in a large clay urn called a pondo for a few days before consuming, which gives it a slight alcoholic content. Modern day chicha is not necessarily alcoholic, however. There are many variations of the original recipe using fruit juices and other ingredients such as oatmeal, rice or yucca (manioc root or cassava). Although it has its roots in the Inca Empire, chicha has come to mean any sort of fruit drink or juice in the common population. It is rare to find communities that still prepare chicha in the traditional way, or that continue to use it solely for festivities and/or rituals. It is not uncommon to find chicha on the dinner table in place of juice or a soft drink. In fact, in some countries, such as Peru, you can find chicha-flavored sweetened drink similar to Kool-Aid. Fiesta de la Jora Perhaps one of the most well-known festivals where chicha de jora is the guest of honor is during the Fiesta de la Jora, which takes place during the first half of September in some villages of the province of Imbabura in northern Ecuador. Festivities include dancing, feasting, and, of course, drinking chicha! Chicha as Culture and Identity Chicha represents the old in face of the new, the traditional triumphing over the modern. Some Latin Americans feel that drinking chicha is a way to remain true to one’s identity and cultural heritage. There is something bucolic and comforting when one drinks chicha, much like drinking a bit of history itself. Related Articles: Chicha de Avena Fruit Drink
The copyright of the article Chicha - Drink of the Incas in South American Food is owned by Kari Miller. Permission to republish Chicha - Drink of the Incas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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