Chicha

In addition to offering us food (which I will show tomorrow), the local folks offered us a drink that they made. My half full (or half empty) glass in this photo shows the drink.

Throughout Latin America chicha is a term used for local drinks made or brewed at home, rather than commercially. There are many variations. It is usually made from corn, is often fermented, and sometimes fruit is added.

Chicha is especially common in Peru, and in the Andes typically people will hang a red flag out their doorway to advertise that they have chicha for sale, usually in a bucket.

I have never had chicha before the glass you see here. In Costa Rica the water is safe to drink, even for Americans like me, and even in little rural villages. I would never drink the chicha in places like Peru. I do not drink beer, as I never acquired the taste. I did not care for the chicha, either, but drank it to be polite.

I really appreciate the comments people left yesterday about their expectations for the food that they offered to me. I will show it tomorrow, but I will have to make two confessions that will expose several of my faults and disappoint you. I apologize in advance.

We are showing photos of the village of Cernobbi on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.