CHICHA – AN ANCESTRAL BEVERAGE TO FEED BODY AND SOUL

by Mary-Fleur Tordjmann:

It is 7 am. I have just arrived in Canelos, a remote Kithwa community of the Pastaza Province, the oldest one in the whole Ecuadorian Amazonian jungle. I jump on the back of a camioneta, a pick-up used as public transportation, to get to the family house of Delia, the community chief’s wife. Women from all generations are gathered outside, in the open-air den, sharing a simple daily life moment.

In welcome, Delia’s mother, the elder of the family, offers me a bowl of chicha to drink with all my hosts. Everyone, from the little children to the oldest one, sips their chicha while talking in kichwa, their native language. Once they have filled their stomachs and gained some strength, they are ready to go to work in the jungle. They are going to cut down dozens of leaves to be used to build a roof. It is always the same routine. Drinking chicha before starting a day of hard work.

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