I was quite excited to find the pictured bottle of chicha morada in a South American grocery in my native Queens today. This was the seventh straight day that temperatures rose above the 90-degree mark, the mercury hit 102 today, or about 150 on the Is-DiStefano-gonna-die index. I must admit that beyond the refreshment factor I was somewhat intrigued by the label.For those of you haven't heard of it chicha morada is what I like to consider the national soft drink of Peru. It's a sweet, refreshing concoction made from purple corn kernels, cinammon, cloves, nutmeg, and brown sugar, among other ingredients. Just thing the to quench one's thirst during a heat wave. Until today, I've only had it in restaurants.
Sadly, the only interesting thing about the bottled version was the label. It lacked the complexity of the homemade version I've had in restaurants. When I read the ingredients I understood why: water, purple corn, sugar and potassium sorbate as preservative. I'd love to know if anybody has tasted a decent bottled chicha morada.
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