So native Peruvians boil, peel and chew the yuka and let it sit for a few days. First they grate the roots and wash water through the coarse mixture, sieving it thoroughly. This removes a poison, a form of hydrocyanic acid, which occurs naturally in the tuber.
After grating, it is cooked and crushed with a wooden spoon. Normally, the women will around the pot, mashing the cooked tuber. The cooked yuka is then chewed into a paste by women and spit out into a large bowl or kettle. This operation is repeated as many times as is necessary to turn the yuka into masato.
The whole is now mixed with the hands. The enzymes in their saliva break down the starch and turn it into sugar—perfect for hungry yeast. After four days, the paste has fermented. It’s mixed with water, and then served. The drink, a weak alcohol, is traditional consumed in enormous quantities.
Production
of masato: beverage based yuka
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| Yuka tuber |
