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