flipPuna coca tea (infusion against altitude sickness)
Puna coca tea (infusion against altitude sickness)
Why this dish? Above 3,000 meters, coca was Juana and her indigenous fighters' daily ally against fatigue, hunger, and soroche (altitude sickness) — a millenary Andean practice she shared with her troops to endure long marches.
A clear, bitter infusion of coca leaves in hot water, sometimes sweetened with a little chancaca. Appetite suppressant and tonic, it eased the shortness of breath at altitude during armed vigils.
They will tell you in town that it is an Indian affair: but I tell you that without the sacred leaf, no one lasts a month at this height. My men chewed it in a ball against the cheek, and in the evening we would throw a few leaves into hot water to soothe the chest and cheat hunger. Pachamama gave it to us, and I am not ashamed to drink it with my soldiers. Respect it: it is not a vice, it is a remedy from our mountains.
- •Dried coca leaves — a small handful (active principle, tonic)
- •Hot spring water — a bowl (base)
- •Chancaca (raw cane sugar) — optional (sweetener)
Puna coca tea (infusion against altitude sickness)
A clear, bitter infusion of coca leaves in hot water, sometimes sweetened with a little chancaca. Appetite suppressant and tonic, it eased the shortness of breath at altitude during armed vigils.
Why this dish? Above 3,000 meters, coca was Juana and her indigenous fighters' daily ally against fatigue, hunger, and soroche (altitude sickness) — a millenary Andean practice she shared with her troops to endure long marches.
They will tell you in town that it is an Indian affair: but I tell you that without the sacred leaf, no one lasts a month at this height. My men chewed it in a ball against the cheek, and in the evening we would throw a few leaves into hot water to soothe the chest and cheat hunger. Pachamama gave it to us, and I am not ashamed to drink it with my soldiers. Respect it: it is not a vice, it is a remedy from our mountains.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried coca leaves — a small handful (active principle, tonic)
- Hot spring water — a bowl (base)
- Chancaca (raw cane sugar) — optional (sweetener)
Ingredients
- Legal Andean herbal tea (muña, coca-substitute or decocainized coca tea per legislation) or Andean mint leaves (muña) — 1 tbsp (tonic infusion)
- Simmering water — 250 ml (base)
- Brown sugar or honey — to taste (sweetener)
Method
- Bring water to a simmer (do not boil).
- Pour over the leaves (muña or authorized Andean tea) and steep 5 min.
- Strain, sweeten lightly if desired.
- Drink hot, in small sips, ideally after a meal or before exertion at altitude.
How it was made : The coca leaf, sacred among Andean peoples for millennia, was chewed as an acullico (a ball in the cheek activated by a little alkaline ash or llipta) or infused. Outside Latin America, its possession is illegal: this recipe is reconstituted with muña, a traditional Andean mint with digestive and anti-soroche properties.
The contemporary twist : Prepare a steaming mate de muña served in a clay cup — the spirit of the high-altitude tisane without coca, perfectly legal and just as comforting.
Juana Azurduy · Charactorium
