We departed the Center for Traditional Textiles to another small village in the Sacred Valley where we stopped at a chicheria where chicha, a traditional Andean corn beer is made. We walked to a small building with a courtyard where we were greeted by a woman who is one of the master chicha makers in the region. We assembled in a small dark room with benches, surrounded by old brewing equipment and a variety of interesting artifacts. Miguel translated for us as the woman explained how she makes chicha, the famous corn beer. Our rules for sanitary consumption of food and beverages were momentarily suspended as we sampled the chicha- both the plain corn beer and the strawberry flavored. Interestingly, chicha is served in huge glasses! Chicha used to be fermented with saliva but our chicha was fermented with a barley mash. Like it or hate it (it tastes like sour beer), it is one of those things you must try when in Peru! We roamed a bit around the courtyard and saw the "guinea pig" enclosure where they raise their cuy for food.
