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Colonche is an alcoholic red coloured drink from
VI. FERMENTACIONES, PULQUE, COLONCHE, TESGÜINO, POZOL, MODIFICACIONES QUÍMICAS (Spanish)
Mexican alcoholic drinks Opuntia Fruit wines
Colonche is an alcoholic red coloured drink from Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
prepared with ''tuna'', the fruits of "nopal
Nopal (from the Nahuatl word for the pads of the plant) is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as ''prickly pear''), as well as for its pads.
There are about 114 known species in Mexico, where it is ...
" (''Opuntia
''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...
'' cacti), especially with ''tuna cardona'', the fruits of ''Opuntia streptacantha
''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...
''.
It is prepared in the states where wild nopal
Nopal (from the Nahuatl word for the pads of the plant) is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as ''prickly pear''), as well as for its pads.
There are about 114 known species in Mexico, where it is ...
is abundant (Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...
, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas
, image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
, map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico
, coordinates =
, coor_pinpoint =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type ...
).
It is a sweet, fizzy beverage
A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothies a ...
. For preparation, the cactus fruits are peeled and crushed to obtain the juice, which is boiled for 2–3 hours. After cooling, the juice is allowed to ferment
Fermentation is a metabolism, metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic Substrate (chemistry), substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in ...
for a few days. Sometimes old colonche is added as a starter. Another possible starter is "tibicos
Tibicos, or water kefir, is a traditional fermented drink made with water and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) held in a polysaccharide biofilm matrix created by the bacteria.
It is sometimes consumed as an alternative to milk- ...
". Tibicos are gelatinous masses of yeasts and bacteria, grown in water with brown sugar.
Amongst other microorganisms responsible for the spontaneous fermentation of colonche, a yeast, ''Torulopsis taboadae
''Candida'' is a genus of yeasts and is the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide. Many species are harmless commensals or endosymbionts of hosts including humans; however, when mucosal barriers are disrupted or the immune system is ...
'' (syn. ''Torulaspora delbrueckii
''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' is a ubiquitous yeast species with both wild and anthropic habitats. The type strain of ''T. delbrueckii'' is CBS 1146T, equivalent to CLIB 230 or ATCC 10662etc. The type strain of ''T. delbrueckii'' CBS 1146 T was seq ...
''?), has been isolated.
In 2003, Teófilo Herrera Suárez
Teófilo Herrera Suárez (24 February 1924 – 23 April 2020) was a Mexican mycologist who was known for his contributions to the Mexican mycological flora. He was also an emeritus professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNA ...
, a Mexican mycologist
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...
, published a book titled ' (“Beyond pulque and tepache”), in which he writes about traditional Mexican alcoholic beverages such as “pozol
Pozol (from the Nahuatl ) is the name of both fermented corn dough and the cocoa drink made from it, which has its origins in Pre-Columbian Mexico. The drink is consumed in the south of Mexico in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. It is a thi ...
”, “” and “colonche”.
See also
*List of Mexican dishes
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire occurred in the 16th century. The basic staples since then remain native foods such as corn, beans, squash and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced many other foods, the most important of which were ...
References
{{alcoholic drinksExternal links
VI. FERMENTACIONES, PULQUE, COLONCHE, TESGÜINO, POZOL, MODIFICACIONES QUÍMICAS (Spanish)
Mexican alcoholic drinks Opuntia Fruit wines