Colonche is an alcoholic red coloured drink from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

prepared with ''tuna'', the fruits of "

nopal ''Nopal'' (plural ''nopales'') is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as prickly pear or tender cactus), as well as for its pads. The name ''nopal'' derives from the Nahuatl word for the pads of t ...

" (''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...

'' cacti), especially with ''tuna cardona'', the fruits of '' Opuntia streptacantha''. It is prepared in the states where wild

is abundant (

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

, San Luis Potosi and

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

). 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, smoothie ...

. 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 type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...

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 water kefir grains held in a polysaccharide biofilm matrix created by the bacteria. It is sometimes consumed as an alternative to milk-based probiotic drinks or tea-c ...

". 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'' (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, a Mexican

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

, 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 Mesoamerica. The drink is consumed in the south of Mexico in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, and Tab ...

", "

tesgüino Tesgüino is an artisanal corn beer produced by several Uto-Aztecan peoples.El ...

" and "colonche".

References

External links

VI. FERMENTACIONES, PULQUE, COLONCHE, TESGÜINO, POZOL, MODIFICACIONES QUÍMICAS

{{Alcoholic drinks Fruit wines Mexican alcoholic drinks Opuntia

See also

References

External links