 A vender sells guarapo in Colombia. | |
| Type | Fermented beverage |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Latin America |
| Main ingredients | Sugarcane juice |
Guarapo (from the Quechua warapu) [1] is a Latin American fermented alcoholic drink derived from sugarcane juice.
"Guarapo" is also a Spanish word for sugarcane juice itself, but in much of Latin America it is used to refer specifically to the fermented product. [1] [2] The Quechua word warapu signifies the juice of crushed cane. [3]
In the Mexican state of Tabasco, during the Spanish colonial period in the 16th century, when sugarcane was introduced from the Caribbean, the Chontal Maya people began to produce the drink by fermenting sugarcane juice. It became very popular among the Indigenous population, who consume it primarily at parties and celebrations, including Day of the Dead. They also produce guarapo de maíz, or corn guarapo, which is made by fermenting toasted corn, panela, and water. [4]
In Cuba, the drink is prepared in rural communities by dissolving honey or panela in water and fermenting it with a type of yeast commonly referred to as cunchos or supias. This yeast is often shared among those who produce the beverage. It is also common to produce the beverage by crushing sugarcane in a trapiche or mill, either drinking it fresh or fermenting it. This is also how the typical Cuban drink aguardiente is produced.
Guarapo is particularly well known the Latin American nations of Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. Venezuelans also refer to coffee mixed with a large amount of water as guarapo. Colombians generally drink guarapo, fermented with yeast known as cunchos in clay vessels. [5] The Festival of Guarapo is held in the Colombian town of Tuluá. [5]
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber-colored spirit produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain. It had the advantages of being produced from abundant domestically grown fruit and reducing the volume of alcoholic beverages transported to remote locations.
Chicha is a fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest periods, corn beer made from a variety of maize landraces has been the most common form of chicha. However, chicha is also made from a variety of other cultigens and wild plants, including, among others, quinoa, kañiwa, peanut, manioc, palm fruit, rice, potato, oca, and chañar. There are many regional variations of chicha. In the Inca Empire, chicha had ceremonial and ritual uses.
Santander is a department of Colombia. Santander inherited the name of one of the nine original states of the United States of Colombia. It is located in the central northern part of the country, borders the Magdalena River to the east, Boyacá to the south and southeast, the Norte de Santander Department to the northeast, the Cesar Department to the north, the Bolivar and Antioquia Departments to the west. Its capital is the city of Bucaramanga.
Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese, British and French cuisine. The Kenyan Sukari ngutu/nguru has no fibre; it is dark and is made from sugarcane and also sometimes extracted from palm tree.
Aguardente (Portuguese) or aguardiente (Spanish) is a type of distilled alcoholic spirit that contains between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is a somewhat generic term that can refer to liquors made from various foods. It originates from and is typically consumed on the Iberian Peninsula and in Iberian America.
Panela or rapadura is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other names in Latin America, such as chancaca in Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, piloncillo in Mexico. Just like brown sugar, two varieties of piloncillo are available; one is lighter and one darker (oscuro). Unrefined, it is commonly used in Mexico, where it has been around for at least 500 years. Made from crushed sugar cane, the juice is collected, boiled, and poured into molds, where it hardens into blocks. It is similar to jaggery, which is used in South Asia. Both are considered non-centrifugal cane sugars.
Guarapo or guarapa may refer to:
Colombian cuisine is a culinary tradition of six main regions within Colombia. Colombian cuisine varies regionally and is influenced by Indigenous Colombian, Spanish, and African cuisines, with a slight Arab influence in some regions.
Tepache is a fermented beverage made from the peel and the rind of pineapples, and is sweetened either with piloncillo or brown sugar. It is sometimes seasoned with chili powder and served cold. Tepache is usually sold as a chilled drink by street vendors in Mexico, stored in barrels to expedite the fermentation process. It is served either in a clay mug or in a clear plastic bag with a straw inserted for easier travel. In the U.S., it is sold in juice bars or traditional Mexican restaurants within Mexican American communities of the Southwestern United States.
Champús is a drink popular in Ecuador, Peru and southwest Colombia, made with maize, fruits such as lulo, pineapple, quince or guanábana, sweetened with panela and seasoned with cinnamon, cloves and orange tree leaves.
Aguapanela, agua de panela or agüepanela is a drink commonly found throughout South America and a few parts of Central America and Caribbean. Its literal translation means "panela water" as it is an infusion made from panela which is derived from hardened sugar cane juice.
Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, Indigenous Taíno, Middle Eastern, and African influences. The most recent influences in Dominican cuisine are from the British West Indies and China.
Basi is a native Ilocano fermented alcoholic beverage or wine made with sugarcane juice, particularly those produced in Northern Luzon particularly in Ilocos Region. This wine is processed in "burnay" or "tapayan".
Mazamorra or masamorra is the name for numerous traditional dishes from the Iberian Peninsula and Hispanic America.
Canelazo is a hot alcoholic beverage consumed in the Andean highlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Argentina.
Pozol is the name of both fermented corn dough and the cocoa drink made from it, which has its origins in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The drink is consumed in the south of Mexico in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, and Tabasco. It is a thirst quencher that has also been used to fight diseases. It has also aided indigenous peoples of the Americas as sustenance on long trips across the jungles.
Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is the technical name given to traditional raw sugar obtained by evaporating water from sugarcane juice. NCS is internationally recognized as a discrete and unique product by the FAO since 1964 and by the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 2007. WCO defines NCS as "cane sugar obtained without centrifugation". It also states that "the product contains only natural anhedral micro-crystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by molasses' residues and other constituents of sugar cane". NCS is produced in most sugarcane-growing regions of the world, being known by many different names such as panela, jaggery, or gur. Some varieties of muscovado are non-centrifugal.
Malamba is a traditional alcoholic beverage in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon made by fermenting sugarcane juice. The canes are crushed in a mortar, and the juice is left to ferment for approximately two weeks. The flavor and texture is similar to the Latin American drink guarapo. To accelerate the process of fermentation, bark from the Garcinia kola can be added to the juice. Corn is also sometimes added during the fermentation process to increase the alcohol content. In Gabon, the drink is also known as musungu or vin de canne in French.
Masato is a beverage made from cassava, rice, corn, oats, or pineapple. Its preparation involves fermenting these ingredients in a pot with water for approximately 8 days, until the mixture begins to foam. Like other alcoholic beverages, it is produced through microbial fermentation, especially by various types of Lactobacillus.
