Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/03/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 12:35 PM 3/28/2009, you wrote: >OK, Tina. The photo is great. But what is saliva fermented? It >doesn't sound very sanitary to me. > >Len It's not what you'd call sanitary. Women chew the sprouting corn and spit the result into a bucket to ferment. It's an Inca tradition: "Traditionally, 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." It's still made the traditional way in Peru. Tina Tina Manley www.tinamanley.com