Abstract
Algarroba (Prosopis alba) beer, known as aloja de algarroba (abbreviated aloja) in local Spanish, is the ancestral alcoholic beverage par excellence of the Wichís and other indigenous peoples of South American Gran Chaco, but nowadays is in disuse. Mentions on the recipe exist, but they are relatively few, concise and/or partial, and most of them were not registered within ethnobiological studies. The aims of this study were to (a) describe in detail the preparation process of algarroba beer and (b) analyse the process from a holistic approach, integrating Wichí concepts and biological explanations. Any morphological type of Prosopis alba fruits is useful, except those with poor mesocarp. Aloja must be prepared from relative fresh fruits, ground into pieces and not from flour alone. Through the senses, mainly taste and smell, the procedure is followed until optimal fermentation time is reached, which occurs at 24–48 h. When aloja is ready, it tastes tapay (bitter-sour) or nusuy (sour-salty). From the Wichí perspective, fermentation is both a maturation and a cooking process, and it is the “strength” (qahay, qahnayaj) of the pods, an intrinsic property, which allows fermentation to occur, with alcohol production. All interviewees’ remarks about the recipe are also explained by microbiological concepts. Altogether, results expand the knowledge on Wichí ethnobiology and are also useful to other disciplines interested in traditional food systems. Besides, they constitute a contribution to the rescue of the know-how on this traditional beverage for future generations and ultimately to food sovereignty.
Highlights
The study of fermented beverages is an important topic for ethnobiology and other disciplines interested in food systems of indigenous peoples, as they are products of a bio-cultural heritage which has evolved through centuries of interactions between local societies and their environment, and they are a significant tool for
The Wichís are a society of approximately 55,000 people with a non-centralised political organisation forming a broad network of rural and peri-urban communities that extends through Salta, Formosa and Chaco provinces in the north of Argentina and a small fringe of South East Bolivia [12,13,14,15] (Fig. 1b, c)
Are all kinds of pods optimal for preparing aloja? It is known that leaves and fruits of Prosopis alba exhibit high morphological variability [10]
Summary
The alcoholic beverage par excellence of numerous indigenous peoples of the South American Gran Chaco region (Fig. 1a) is the algarroba beer, called aloja de algarroba (usually abbreviated aloja) in local Spanish (see [7,8,9]). It is made from water and Prosopis alba Griseb. This species, locally known as algarrobo or algarrobo blanco, is native to several countries of South America and is a typical tree of the Gran Chaco region [10]. The tasks undertaken by Wichí men and women are traditionally well differentiated and clearly distributed: men are mainly hunters, fishermen, manufacturers of wooden handicrafts and wage earners working for the criollos; women basically spend their time gathering, doing housework and manufacturing textile handicrafts [12, 13, 17]
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