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August 02, 2004
Chicha
The Field Museum has turned up an ancient Wari chicha brewery for mass production of the "spicy, beer-like alcoholic drink" (don't ask about the fermentation process).
The brewery, some 2,440m up in the Peruvian Andes, could produce as much as 1,000 litres of the drink a day. Such quantities were needed to fuel alcohol-based gatherings organised by the elite of the Wari empire which took place in purpose-built drinking halls. Each Wari noble would have consumed up to 10 litres of "chicha" per ceremony.
The bit about using the beverage for "ritual intoxication" is more archaeology-speak for what people engage in while watching ritual hockey games or ritual weekend BBQs. Even at 1-3% alcohol content, 10 litres is a lot of chicha.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at August 2, 2004 08:28 AM
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