Masato (drink)
.jpg) Girl drinking masato | |
| Type | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela |
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.[1]
Regional Varieties
[edit]Colombia
[edit]Masato is a widely consumed indigenous beverage in the departments of Cundinamarca, Santander, Tolima, Norte de Santander, and Boyacá in Colombia. The recipe has been passed down through the tradition of grandparents, and its production has spread to other regions within the country, including the Northern Coast.[2]
It is a fermented drink made from corn, usually sweetened with molasses. The variety most consumed in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense highlands is prepared with rice and panela,[3] often adding cloves and cinnamon. Other variations use wheat flour, and there are also preparations with arrowroot flour, rice, pumpkin, cassava, sorghum, and plantain. In recent years, industrial production has expanded.[4]
Masato is often used to accompany various snacks, such as pastries, butter cookies, almojábanas, garullas, pandeyuca, or, in some cases, meat or chicken empanadas. Its consumption increases at the end of the year, as it is served with snacks typical of that season, such as buñuelos, natilla, and tamales.
Peru
[edit]
Masato in Peru is a fermented beverage traditionally made with boiled cassava and is known as masato de yuca.[5] It has been made for at least a thousand years in the Amazon region.[5] The cassava is mixed with water, chewed in the mouth, spat out, and left to rest so that the cassava starch converts into sugar and eventually ferments into alcohol.[6] This method is prevalent among native Amazonian ethnicities. However, commercially, it is prepared by grinding cassava and adding bread yeast for fermentation, making it more accessible to those outside Amazonian ethnicities who might "reject" its consumption due to the unconventional chewing of cassava. Along with chicha de jora, it is one of the ancient beverages deeply rooted in Amazonian traditions.[7][8]
Probiotic bacteria may potentially be isolated from masato de yuca.[9]
Venezuela
[edit]Masato in Venezuela is made from rice, panela, and spices. It is typically consumed before fermentation, although some believe it is better when fermented as it becomes effervescent. It should be refrigerated to prevent it from becoming too strong. In the state of Táchira, it is common to blend the cooked rice with a syrup made from a geranium branch, giving it its characteristic flavor.[10] Instead of panela, refined sugar is used to keep the drink white. Indigenous communities in the Amazonas state consume yuca chicha.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^ Fula A. Angélica. (2010) Desarrollo de una bebida fermentada con adición de cocción de maíz. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia. (2010) Facultad de Ciencias, Especialización en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, 33 p.
- ^ "Bebida tradicional: Masato". Gastronomia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "Bebidas". Colombia.com (in Spanish). 2011-08-03. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "El masato de arroz colombiano". Gastronomia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ a b "The Drink Created With Yuca and Spit". Atlas Obscura. 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ Bloudoff-Indelicato, Mollie (2015-03-30). "Ancient Alcoholic Drink's Unusual Starter: Human Spit". Culture. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ Gutiérrez, Publicado por Guillermo (2021-03-25). "No es solo trago, es historia y tradición: cultura peruana y licores emblemáticos (primera parte)". Diamante Líquido (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ Hornsey, I.S. (2012). Alcohol and Its Role in the Evolution of Human Society. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 591. ISBN 978-1-84973-161-4. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ Rebaza-Cardenas, Teresa D.; Silva-Cajaleón, Kenneth; Sabater, Carlos; Delgado, Susana; Montes-Villanueva, Nilda D.; Ruas-Madiedo, Patricia (2021-08-27). ""Masato de Yuca" and "Chicha de Siete Semillas" Two Traditional Vegetable Fermented Beverages from Peru as Source for the Isolation of Potential Probiotic Bacteria". Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins. 15 (2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 300–311. doi:10.1007/s12602-021-09836-x. ISSN 1867-1306. PMC 10024669.
- ^ Antillano, Victoria (2018-12-24). "▷ Masato de Arroz Tachirense 【bebida cremosa】 » Receta Venezolana". Receta Venezolana (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-14.