Frog Juice in High Demand in Peru
By LESLIE JOSEPHS
LIMA,
Peru (AP) - Carmen Gonzalez plucks one of
the 50 frogs from the aquarium at her bus
stop restaurant, bangs it against tiles
to kill it and then makes two incisions
along its belly and peels off the skin as
if husking corn.
|
(AP)
A frog juice vendor Juliana Sullca,
right, shows a frog in front of her
restaurant in Lima,... |
She's
preparing frog juice, a beverage revered
by some Andean cultures for having the power
to cure asthma, bronchitis, sluggishness
and a low sex drive. A drink of so-called
"Peruvian Viagra" sells for about
90 cents.
Gonzalez
adds three ladles of hot, white bean broth,
two generous spoonfuls of honey, raw aloe
vera plant and several tablespoons of maca
- an Andean root also believed to boost
stamina and sex drive - into a household
blender.
Then
she drops the frog in.
Once
strained, the result is a starchy, milkshake-like
liquid that stings the throat.
At least 50 customers a day ask for steaming
beer mugs of frog juice at Gonzalez's countertop-only
restaurant in eastern Lima, and many treat
the concoction as their morning - and afternoon
- cup of coffee.
Rebeca
Borja, a 53-year-old housewife and mother
of five, originally from Lima's central
highland city of Huancayo, where the beverage
is common, said simply: "It gives you
power."
|