ENJOY THE LIFE / THE FESTIVAL OF THE CHICHA, LIFE AND THE JOY

Being, visiting the area of la Candelaria of Bogotá; we went to taste a typical drink of the region; They offered us masato santafereño; made with rice and pineapple delicious! However, we saw a promotion of a typical festival in the region, and by touching our curiosity; we wanted to find out more ... and that's what we come to tell; follow us you will love this legendary tradition ...

The Chicha has been and is nowadays the queen drink of the Cundiboyacense culture. Legend has it that this drink is a tribute to an Indian who sought eternal rest in the waters of the Guatavita lagoon, not being able to bear the depression of having been forced by her Cacique to drink a broth made from the testicles of her lover. Legend has it that this indigenous woman comes out afloat and tastes the ancestral flavor of the drink, turned into a snake.

The Scots have their whiskey, the Mexicans have their tequila, the French have their wine, the Spaniards have their sangria, the Americans have their coca cola, and the Colombians, like some South American people, have chicha. It is the oldest of the popular drinks, when the settlers arrived in America they put aside their traditional drinks and became attached to the indigenous chicha; They said that it fed them while i t drunk them and that they were happy.

When we studied the drink we saw that it has had good and bad experiences; but its presence has been and is support of the indigenous identity, becoming inheritance for its traditions from generation to generation. Curiously, these people did not consume the pure, crystalline water that flowed from their clear springs. This corn-based drink was the preferred one, rather than the solid food, since it gave resistance and sustenance to their long working days and journeys.

These containers are called mollos or múcuras, elaborated and molded from clay and baked in the oven. In them corn is fermented; that has previously been ground and cooked. It is said that the rudimentary way used by the natives to prepare their delicious concoction was to chew the grain, to inoculate it in the ferment of saliva, and then mix it with water and then go to the wood fire, for 3 or 4 hours.

Currently, this is one of the many ways it is presented and offered to the consuming public. In the prehispanic era La Chicha was considered a special drink, the natives took it from time to time to celebrate some event or ceremony; as weddings, burials. The fermentation was at low levels because they considered it food.

In the book "Food in the daily life of the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario" the following text is reviewed: The Spaniards defined chicha as "The wine that the Indians make from their corn, which makes you drunk if you drink a lot" They described their elaboration "they do this way: they grind the corn between two stones, by hand with some water, so that a dough is formed and so they return it to the dough, because they say it is the yeast with which the dough is fried And in two days in its cantaros it was ready"

These containers are called totumas, from the fruit of a vine plant called totumo, in them it is typically where the chicha is served. At one time it was forbidden more than anything by the influence of the missionaries, who considered it harmful because of the continuous drunkenness, according to them. However, because they were popular and traditional, the Indians did not allow it, because they considered it an identity trait and at the same time it was a primordial food; It was part of his daily and sacred life.

The chicha is part of the cultural symbols and this tradition is protected and protected by the authorities; every time good forms and self-control are kept. The festival has traditional music from cultural and regional groups, which are performed by artists who carry their folklore in the veins and in the traditional mestizaje of groups from the entire Andean region; Characterized by tunes typical of cultural and regional masters, which are interpreted by artists who carry their folklore in their veins and in miscegenation.

Today the chicha festival is held, declared an event of cultural interest, in order to preserve ancestral traditions. Within the festival there is a wide gastronomic variety of typical dishes of the region; as well as small bottles with drinks of chicha and masato, to take to those who were at home.

The table is set, in case some day you decide to give a little girl tuntil another adventure, dear friends, receive our virtual embrace! o the festival of chicha, life and happiness. Congratulations for those who accompanied us.