Artisanal apple chicha is a Creole brew considered one of the most popular and traditional beverages during the apple harvest in southern Chile, somewhat more rustic than cider and naturally fermented.
Contents
How to make Apple Chicha?
The “chicheras” apples are bittersweet, but modern varieties do not ferment properly. They say “the chicha doesn’t get strong in a good way; after a few months, it turns sour and takes on an unpleasant odor.”
Nutritional Information
Category: Beverages
Cuisine: Chilean
Calories: 250
Preparation Time: 15 days
Servings: 6 people
Chilean Apple Chicha recipe
Ingredients
- 50 sweet field apples
- 1 cup of sugar
- Toasted flour
Preparation
- Wash the apples in cold water, remove the stem, leaves and reserve unpeeled.
- Squeeze in a juicer, add the sugar, and dissolve everything very well with a wooden spoon.
- Store the juice in a container with a lid and keep it in a dark place.
- After 15 days, filter the apple chicha with a cloth strainer to remove impurities and bottle.
- Serve the apple chicha cold, alone or for example with toasted flour.
Traditional Apple Chicha
Traditionally, the apple harvest is done by shaking the tree over potato sacks laid out on the ground, where they are then stored for 3 to 4 days to allow the apples to ripen evenly.
Then the apples are ground in a hopper with nail rollers, and the mixture is squeezed in a wooden screw press that extracts the juice (sweet chicha), which is finally filtered and stored in uncovered containers. After a few days, it will start to ferment and produce alcohol.
Origin of Apple Chicha
The Mapuche people had enormous apple orchards to make chicha, which they called “chisco” or “pulku manshana”, consumed in special festivities and sometimes mixed with corn chicha to ensure active fermentation, a mixture they called “champura.”
Did you know?
Apple chicha was also very popular during the Colonial period, particularly in Concepción, as along with maqui chicha, they were the most consumed alcoholic beverages during the 18th century.
