"chicha" news and stories

Bento box. Photo: luckysundae, Flickr

• Bento boxes continue to gain popularity in the U.S. as more moms discover the virtues of disguising healthy food in fun shapes.
• Gary Vaynerchuk whips up a vino fervor with his Wine Library TV and unconventional tasting notes.
• Cooking with Dexter talks about tykes and the joys of fresh-catching sea fare, and whips up a Red Shrimp Chowder with Corn.
• A prominent Italian-American restaurant scene is just the tip of the Staten Island iceberg of international culinary delights.
• The Minimalist makes pasta with mussels.
• Dogfish always tries to bend the boundaries of beer -- and now they're taking it a step further with saliva-strengthened chicha. Yes, spit.
• Motorino gets a second pizza-filled location after a prime find on Craigslist.
• California winemaker Kathryn Kennedy has passed away at the age of 82.
• A Good Appetite reminisces about Aunt Sandy's famous shindigs and her Sweet and Sour Salmon.
• The Temporary Vegetarian makes Soybeans with Garlic and Dill.
• Food Stuff finds a mixture of cheese and antiques, handy ice cream containers and South African vinegars.
• New York's openings and closings, and dining calendar.

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.