Mate de Coca: Coca Tea in Cusco, Peru
The drink of the Andes in Peru is Mate de Coca (also commonly referred to as Coca Tea) from the Coca plant (yes, same plant used for cocaine which makes the drink illegal in America).
In a throwdown between chicha morada and coca tea, I’m not totally sure who would win the title for national drink of Peru, but I’m going to say it will be close.
When we were in Cusco, ancient Incan capital and present day cultural and historical capital nestled in the Andes, we drank lots of coca tea as it is purported to help with altitude sickness and digestion.
The photos above are photos of one of the coca tea breaks we had at Greens Organics while wandering around Cusco (photos of Cusco are below the coca tea ones).
Real Tea vs. Herbal Tisane in Drag
Now since you are Tranquil Tuesdays tea enthusiasts, you all know that coca tea technically isn’t tea because it isn’t from the tea plant, camellia sinensis, but instead more accurately an herbal tisane since the dried leaves are from the coca plant.
Either way, people call it coca “tea” because it is drunk in the manner of tea drinking throughout Peru much like chrysanthemum “tea” is going around in misnomer-ed drag in China (also an herbal tisane).
Sacred Leaf in Incan Custom and Rituals
According to one book I read about the coca leaf, Coca Leaf: Sacred Leaf of the Incas, the Real History, coca leaves were in use in rituals and traditional medicine in ancient Peruvian civilization since 4000 B.C.
First cultivated in the valleys of the Andean mountains in present day Peru and Bolivia, Coca leaves were involved in every religious and social ceremony. Coca leaves are depicted in pre-Colombian ceremonial cups and ceramics.
Traditionally coca leaves are chewed “chacchar,” blown upon to evoke Andean gods “punpuy,” picked in a social ritual “kintu,” as well as drunk as an herbal tisane.
Coca Leaf: Peru :: Tea: China
It seems that coca tea and coca leaves occupy the same deep history, integral role in daily social life, essential element for bringing people together in Peru that tea does in China.
We are always interested in learning about similar traditions to Chinese tea in China in other cultures and excited to share these discoveries with you on our travels!
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