Ulpo, the Trail Drink
A toasted wheat flour (*harina tostada*) stirred into cold water or milk, sweetened: a thick, thirst-quenching, and filling drink that cuts the hunger of long walks and school days.
A toasted wheat flour (*harina tostada*) stirred into cold water or milk, sweetened: a thick, thirst-quenching, and filling drink that cuts the hunger of long walks and school days.
When I went from one school to another along dusty roads, I carried only a small sack of *harina tostada*. You toast the wheat until it smells of hazelnut, grind it, and then all you need is a little fresh water from the stream and a pinch of sugar to make *ulpo*. Beat it well with a spoon so there are no lumps, my child. It does not look like much, but this golden flour has fed the schoolteachers and shepherds of my country better than many feasts.
- •Harina tostada (toasted wheat flour) — two spoonfuls per bowl (base)
- •Fresh water (or milk) — one bowl (liquid)
- •Sugar or chancaca — to taste (sweetness)
Ulpo, the Trail Drink
A toasted wheat flour (*harina tostada*) stirred into cold water or milk, sweetened: a thick, thirst-quenching, and filling drink that cuts the hunger of long walks and school days.
Why this dish? An itinerant schoolteacher and later a diplomat leading a life of perpetual travel — from Mexico to Brazil, from Stockholm to New York — Mistral kept the taste of this simple, portable food from her Andean childhood. *Ulpo*, simply toasted flour mixed with liquid, is the *avío* par excellence: it fits in a pouch and can be prepared with a little water, anywhere.
When I went from one school to another along dusty roads, I carried only a small sack of *harina tostada*. You toast the wheat until it smells of hazelnut, grind it, and then all you need is a little fresh water from the stream and a pinch of sugar to make *ulpo*. Beat it well with a spoon so there are no lumps, my child. It does not look like much, but this golden flour has fed the schoolteachers and shepherds of my country better than many feasts.
Ingredients (period version)
- Harina tostada (toasted wheat flour) — two spoonfuls per bowl (base)
- Fresh water (or milk) — one bowl (liquid)
- Sugar or chancaca — to taste (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Harina tostada (store-bought, or toast whole wheat flour in a dry pan) — 3 tbsp (base)
- Cold water or milk — 250 ml (liquid)
- Brown sugar — 1 to 2 tsp (sweetness)
- Lemon zest (optional) — a little (freshness)
Method
- If making the *harina tostada*, toast whole wheat flour (or ground wheat) in a dry pan, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant like hazelnut. Let cool.
- Pour cold water or milk into a bowl, add sugar, and dissolve.
- Sprinkle in the *harina tostada* while whisking vigorously to avoid lumps.
- Whisk until smooth and slightly thick. Drink immediately.
How it was made : *Harina tostada* was the staple provision of Chilean peasants, shepherds, and travelers: light to carry, long-lasting, it turned into a drink (*ulpo* with cold water), a hot porridge (*cocho*), or was added to soups. It is the survival food of the countryside, inherited from Andean traditions of toasted grain.
The contemporary twist : Serve *ulpo* well chilled in a small glass, lightly perfumed with lemon zest, as an 'ancestral smoothie' without industrial milk.
Sources : Oreste Plath, Folklore culinario de Chile
Gabriela Mistral · Charactorium