Aloja

Ingredients

The mash

• 1 kgdried algarroba pods (white carob, Prosopis alba), well dried and free of mould
• 3 litreswater, at about 30°C (85°F)
• 1cinnamon stick, optional
• Peel of 1 orange, optional

Working kit

• A wooden mortar (mortero) and pestle, or a heavy food processor
• A wide-mouthed earthenware or glass vessel
• Muslin, to cover

Directions

1. Check the pods carefully and discard any that are damp, dark or mouldy. Carob pods absorb humidity and mouldy pods spoil the whole batch.
2. Dry the sound pods further in a 60°C (140°F) oven for 30 minutes, or in strong sun for a day, until they snap cleanly.
3. Pound the pods in a wooden mortar until the pulp is broken to a coarse meal and the hard seeds are loose; in the northwest this is done standing, with a long pestle, and the seeds are then picked out.
4. Tip the meal into the vessel, pour over the water at blood temperature and stir well. Add the cinnamon and orange peel if using.
5. Cover with muslin, not a lid, and leave in a warm place at 25–30°C (75–85°F). Wild yeast on the pods starts the ferment; no yeast is added in the traditional method.
6. Stir twice a day with a clean wooden spoon. By day two it should be foaming at the edges and smelling of bread and honey.
7. Ferment 3–5 days depending on the weather. Taste daily: aloja is ready when it is faintly fizzy, mildly alcoholic at around 2–4%, and still clearly sweet. Left longer it turns sour and vinegary.
8. Strain through muslin, squeezing lightly, and serve cool the same day in a jug. It does not keep: aloja is drunk fresh, and in Santiago del Estero and La Rioja it is made for a specific gathering.

Technique

• Aloja is an indigenous drink of the Argentine northwest, made from the algarroba harvest in December and January, and closely related to Andean chicha in method: crush, steep, let wild yeast do the work.
• There is no boiling and no added sugar in the traditional recipe. The pod pulp supplies all the sugar, which is why the pods must be fully ripe and properly dried.
• The seeds are hard enough to crack teeth and are removed after pounding, not before. In some households they are kept and ground separately for flour.
• As with any wild ferment, discard the batch if it smells of solvent, nail varnish or mould rather than bread and fruit.

Substitutions

• No algarroba: dried carob pods from the Mediterranean, the same genus in culinary terms, give a close if slightly sweeter result.
• If wild fermentation will not start in a cold kitchen, pitch a pinch of bread yeast, but note that this is a modern shortcut rather than the traditional method.

Variations

• Añapa, the unfermented version: the same pounded pods steeped in cold water for a few hours and drunk sweet.
• Aloja de maíz, made with germinated maize instead of carob, closer to chicha.

History

Made in the northwest from algarroba pods, a pre-Hispanic drink still brewed at summer festivals.

Frequently asked questions

What is Aloja?

Aloja is a wine & spirit from Argentina: fermented drink of ground carob pods, cloudy and low in alcohol. Made in the northwest from algarroba pods, a pre-Hispanic drink still brewed at summer festivals.

How long does Aloja take to make?

Aloja takes 30 min of preparation and 3 to 5 days fermenting of cooking. The recipe makes 3 litres. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Aloja?

Yes, within limits. No algarroba: dried carob pods from the Mediterranean, the same genus in culinary terms, give a close if slightly sweeter result. If wild fermentation will not start in a cold kitchen, pitch a pinch of bread yeast, but note that this is a modern shortcut rather than the traditional method.

What is the most important thing to get right in Aloja?

Check the pods carefully and discard any that are damp, dark or mouldy. Carob pods absorb humidity and mouldy pods spoil the whole batch.