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15 typical Bolivian drinks that you should try

Bolivia is a country like all of South America, rich in gastronomic variety, with dishes and drinks made based on indigenous traditions. g

Let us know in this article the top 15 typical Bolivian drinks most consumed by locals and foreigners.

1. Chicha

 Chicha is one of the most traditional and most popular drinks in the Andean country.

It is prepared with different fruits that are placed in water for 2 or 3 days to ferment. After this, the liquid is removed, sweet is added and it will be ready to consume. It is important that it has a high percentage of starch.

The girl was consumed by ancient Bolivians in religious ceremonies and rituals.

2. Candy

Refreshing drink made from chicha and to which cinnamon, strawberries and a vegetable coloring known as airampu are added, which is obtained in any market in the country.

The origin of the garapiña is Quechua and its name derived from an expression of this language, “pukamiña”, which means red.

Its flavor is much tastier when cinnamon ice cream is added.

3. Mocochinchi

 Mocochinchi is made with dehydrated or dried peaches and a sweet syrup to the point of caramel.

The fruits are boiled in hot water and sweet cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are added. When cooked, add the syrup to the point of caramel and mix very well until it dissolves completely.

It is one of the Bolivian desserts and drinks that is consumed very cold.

4. Chuflay

 Chuflay is obtained by mixing other drinks such as ginger ale and a typical Bolivian liquor called singani, obtained by distilling white grapes of the Moscatel de Alejandría type. Both are added to a glass with ice, since it is taken very cold and garnished with lemon slices.

5. Cañahua juice

 Cañahua is one of the Bolivian cereal species with which one of the country’s typical drinks is made, a juice rich in a source of protein and minerals such as iron, calcium and phosphorus. It is taken prepared in water or with milk.

6. Flaxseed juice

 Typical Bolivian drink that is made with flaxseeds, an abundant source of antioxidants and fiber, with a high content of omega 3 fatty acids.

Flaxseed juice is made from flaxseed, water, and lemon juice. The drink obtained is very refreshing, especially in hot seasons.

7. Coca tea

 Coca tea is one of the oldest and most traditional drinks in Bolivia, made in the areas of the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes.

It is an infusion or tea prepared with coca leaves, water, sugar or honey, which is drunk in the Andean heights to tolerate mountain sickness or “soroche”. Contrary to popular belief, it is not harmful or intoxicating.

It is a drink of great symbolic value that, when ingested, causes a feeling of well-being and energy similar to that of coffee.

8. Succumbed

 It is believed that sucumbé was accidentally invented by a family from La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, who added a little pisco, a Peruvian liquor, to their hot milk.

The combination was so tasty and comforting that it became one of the most popular drinks in Bolivia, especially in La Paz, on the eve of July 16.

To make sucumbé, boiling water with cinnamon, evaporated milk, singani liquor, Peruvian pisco, cognac, powdered sugar and ground cinnamon are used to decorate.

9. Tea with tea

 Traditional drink in La Paz and one of the typical ones from Bolivia. It is a punch for the cold winter season that is very popular on the night of San Juan and on the eve of July 16.

It is a preparation of hot tea with cinnamon, sliced ​​green lemon, singani liquor and sugar to the consumer’s taste.

10.Wilkaparu

Prepared for children under 2 years of age with low weight problems, since wilkaparu is a type of corn that is very rich in nutrients.

To make chicha, only the wilkaparu is diluted in boiling water and milk is added.

11. Quinoa Juice

 With quinoa, one of the typical drinks of Bolivia is prepared. To do this, boil water with cloves, cinnamon, chopped quince without seeds but with the peel and quinoa. The result is a mixture with a very pleasant flavor that provides the nutrients of the cereal.

The ancient Incas considered quinoa as the “mother of cereals” and a sacred food. Although its consumption in South America dates back thousands of years, it was only recently that it gained recognition as a “superfood”.

12. Yungueñito

 The name of this typical Bolivian drink derives from the Yungas area, in the Department of La Paz, where most of the oranges used and consumed in the capital are grown.

Orange juice is the base of this preparation that is made with singani liquor, sweet syrup and lots of ice. This way you get a tasty little yungueñito.

13. Chocolate

Choleado is one of the easiest typical Bolivian drinks to prepare, since only a beer and a carbonated soft drink are mixed, preferably a Coca Cola.

14. Beer

 Beer is widely accepted in Bolivia, which makes it one of its typical drinks. Some of the most outstanding are Taquiña, Huari and Paceña, the latter made and packaged since 1886 in La Paz.

15. Bolivian wines

 They are known as “high altitude wines” and have been produced in Bolivian lands for centuries. They are exported all over the world such as European countries, North America and Japan, for their excellent quality.

Typical Bolivian drinks with alcohol

Among the typical Bolivian alcoholic beverages are beer, wine, singani and fermented chicha.

Types of alcoholic beverages in Bolivia

Bolivian beer arrived in the country with German immigrants. It is made with top quality barley and water from Andean springs and glaciers.

The singani is a typical Bolivian alcoholic beverage used mostly to make cocktails. It is different from Chilean or Peruvian pisco, so you should not confuse it with either.

Chicha has been the traditional drink of the indigenous Incas for centuries. It is produced from corn that is fermented, resulting in a drink with some degrees of alcohol.

What are the typical drinks of Santa Cruz?

Among the typical drinks of Santa Cruz we have the mocochinchi, made from boiled dried peaches; chicha, prepared from corn and somó, a drink similar to chicha but to which the resulting boiled corn is added.

Sweet or sharp chive can also be savored; Tiger milk; guapurú or tamarind soft drinks.

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