The Cocuy an iconic drink of the Venezuelan gastronomy, part I

From the web page http://www.iconosdevenezuela.com/ we bring you this article about liquor that is made Agave cocui, enjoy: 

 Cocuy is the only Aguardiente (kind of alcoholic beverage) that is original from Simon’s Bolivar motherland, not even rum, but this drink with strong flavor. This is drink is made off the extraction of a plant of the Agave family, Agave Cocui. This plant grows on the states Lara and Falcon, Venezuela. The plantation of Agave (The same plant that is used to produce Tequila) must be harvest on the exact moment, that moment is exactly seven years after the first sow when the plant is about to give its fruits. After you pull out the leaves, the head is baked so the sugars get concentrated later on get fermented and distilled. Known for been a very strong drink (around the 56 alcoholic rate) is very common to be drink alone but you can also drink cocktails made out Cocui we recommend you to prepare Cocui with citric flavors. The history of Cocui, goes back to the origin of its plant, the Agave Cocui, this represents for our indigenous tribes a very important sustenance for their daily life. The infinite uses of this plant, from the production of pottery to the fermentation and production of a distilled with many benefits, even healing, may allow us to recognize its transcendence. Many historians have contribute in the research about the Venezuelan Cocuy, among them, Miguel Acosta Saiges, quotes priest Zaragoza, in his literary work “Estudios de Etnología Antigua de Venezuela, Caracas 1961, p. 182”… “ Like the aborigines llaneros, to whom, at least a part of them we have related with Cocuy.” 

 So Acosta writes: " ... Of the fruits, roots and tubers, also make chicha, or drink that is drunk, the crushed between two stones and you pour water in quantity supplied and wooden vessels or mud, and left to ferment three or four days, as it's so hot drink becomes rich , some of which are very strong and drunk soon , others are softer . " On the other hand in the book " On Tour and Description of the Indies, 1539-1559," says Galeotti Cey , describes the process of naming cocuiza fermented drink , the plant of which we did but now its confusion because it really would cocuy producing both fibers as drinks. " Liquor drink those people, because water never seen nor have ... there let them bake and braise, then take them out and eat them, that serves bread and call her cocuy ... " To this should be added the removing the " palm" obtained from the base of the cut maguey sap raw soothing dreadful thirst in those domains of drought and buds of flowers, known as " bicuyes " and indispensable as pickles and preparing ajiceros consabidos . 

 Likewise documents, testimonies and customs, we talk about the importance of the Agave Cocuy Cucuy in Lara state, this being an Aboriginal religious, nutritional and medicinal cultural element type. His process for obtaining this extraordinary Venezuelan distillate begins with cutting cocuy and subsequent firing in a handmade oven to hydrolyze starch. 

The oven of indigenous roots, is digging a hole in the ground of varying diameter and depth, usually consisting of a hole about three feet deep by eight feet in diameter that was dug in the ground. There pieces of firewood with fire becomes hot coals are placed on them limestone that refract heat and prevent accommodate tailings Cocuy touch the heads (in each oven put 10 dozen pads on, depending on the size of the furnace) , which are stacked on top of the pyramid-shaped rocks that can reach six feet tall. The pile heads cocuy is covered with leaves of the leaves that had previously been cut plants and sand or dirt on them. Everything is surrounded with cuji branches to prevent animals, especially goats approaching. This work is stopped 6-8 days until the leaves are well baked. Continued ... " Now the country we are, instead we all want."


 Writer: Antonio Pestana apestana@iconosdevenezuela.com contacto@ecoalianza.com www.ecoalianza.com @iconosvenezuela

The best of the Venezuelan gastronomy: la arepa

La arepa is cooked corn dough; you can cook it with butter, oil or fat and this is what gives the inexplicable flavor to the arepa. This dish is part of Venezuelan idiosyncrasy, is the most important symbol after the flag. But where does it come from? And how come it’s so important to Venezuelans?

The history of la arepa:

Galeotto Cei gave the oldest reference of the word arepa in his travel and descriptions of America (1539-1553):

“They make some kind of bread out of corn, its tortilla like, about a finger thick, round and big like a French plate, more or les. They used to cook it putting them on a pan over the fire and they spread it with oil so it wouldn’t get stuck, finally they would turn it around until it was well cooked on both sides. This is what people call arepas and some call them fecteguas.”

Some legends express that la arepa was the name given to the clay pan in which the original corn dough was cooked, others say that the word “arepa” comes from the cumagoto-language of the Amerindians, ethnic part of the Caribes that are originally from the province of Cumaná in Venezuela. Their decedents live north from Anzoteguí state in Venezuela, in their language the word arepa means corn, the main ingredient of la arepa.

La arepa depending on the region has different ways of being cooked:

Roasted: The dough is cooked in a special pan called budare. In big restaurants they usually use a big griddle in order to cook more arepas in less time. It’s worth pointing out that in Margarita people usually rub the budare with shark grease before putting the corn dough in it so the arepa gets a perfect form, better taste and better color.

Baked: The corn dough is put inside a home hoven or a wood one, this way is easier to fill it up.

Boiled: It’s cooked in boiling water for several minutes until it starts to compact.  Usually these come in an oval form and are called bollitos. This bollitos shouldn’t get confused with hallaquitas, the difference between them is that hallaquitas have a wrapping made out of banana’s tree leaves and bollito doesn’t.

Fried: The dough is put in boiling oil inside a pan until it gets a gold finish. A homemade trick is that before you put the arepa in the pan you make a little hole in the middle of the arepa.

The variety of stuffing you can put inside of the arepa are unbeatable, our next post will be dedicated to the fillings you can put inside of the arepa… Exquisite!