Information AboutChicha |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CHICHA | |
| fermented beverages | |
| inca | |
| chilean cuisine | |
| peruvian cuisine | |
| native american cuisine | |
| types of beer | |
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While chicha is most commonly associated with maize, the word is used in the Andes for almost any homemade fermented drink, and many different grains or fruits are used to make "chicha" in different regions. In Peru, chicha also means an informal and transient arrangement, or a street vendor. In Chile , chicha refers to a type of homemade sweet wine made by families for special occasions. In other Latin American countries like Panama , chicha can simply mean "softdrink" or "juice." The common Spanish expression ''Ni chicha ni Limonada '' (neither chicha nor lemonade) is roughly equivalent to the English "neither fish nor fowl." (Thus, it is used when something is not easily placed into a category.) ETYMOLOGY According to the Real Academia Española and other authors, the word ''chicha'' comes from the Kuna word ''chichab,'' which means Maize . However, according to Luis Goatherd it comes from the Nahuatl word ''chichiatl'', which means "fermented water"; the verb ''chicha'' meaning "to sour a drink" and the Postfix ''-atl'' meaning Water . PREPARATION Chicha de jora is prepared by Germinating maize, extracting the Malt sugars, boiling the Wort , and fermenting it in large vessels, traditionally huge earthenware vats, for several days. In some cultures, in lieu of germination of the maize for release of the starches in the maize, the maize is ground, moistened in the chicha maker's mouth and formed into small balls which are then flattened and laid out to dry. Naturally occurring Diastase Enzymes in the maker's saliva Catalyses the breakdown of Starch in the maize into Maltose . (This process of chewing grains or other starches was used in the production of alcoholic beverages in pre-modern cultures around the world including for example Sake in Japan .) Chicha Morada on the other hand is not fermented. It is usually made of black maize which is boiled with pineapple, cinnamon, and clove. This gives a strong purple-colored liquid which is then mixed with sugar and lemon. This beverage is usually taken as a refreshment. A good description of the preparation of a Bolivian way to make chicha can be found in Cutler, Hugh and Martin Cardenas, “Chicha a Native South American Beer”, Harvard University Botanical Museum Leaflets, V.13, N.3, December 29, 1947 USE Chicha de jora has been prepared and consumed in communities throughout in the Andes for millennia. The Inca used chicha for ritual purposes and consumed it in vast quantities during religious festivals. Mills in which it was probably made were found at Machu Picchu . In recent years, however, the traditionally prepared chicha is becoming increasingly rare. Only in a small number of towns and villages in southern Peru , Bolivia , Ecuador , and Colombia (specially in the Columbian andean region -on and around Bogotá -) it is still prepared. In Peru, mature chicha is used in cooking as a kind of Cooking Wine , in, for example, '' Seco De Cabrito '' (stewed Goat ). Chicha Morada is said to reduce blood pressure. It is also under investigation that Chicha de Jora acts as an anti-inflammatory on the prostate. Chicha tastes great mixed with Coca Sek , a Colombian beverage made from coca leaf. VARIETIES There are various regional varieties of chicha:
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