Day of Death

October and November first days in Latin-American culture are straight attached to the celebration of faith, the beliefs in God and the beginning of the wealth in agriculture. We are talking about the Prehispanic period when indigenous communities prepared in these months to welcome the rain, the beginning of the seedtime which means rebirth and ends in the harvest, which represents death.

Every year, in this period, looking at the harvest cycles, Ecuadorian natives exhumed their relatives which were mummified together in the same grave. Their beliefs stood that their dead relatives needed to be honored by the first sowing, a ritual that celebrates the lives of their loved ones that are no longer with them on earth. And in a way of offering, the communities gathered seasoning fruits and llama blood -a sacred animal- and gave it to the dead ones.

These traditions were considered profane by Spaniards when they conquered the region in 1500. Indigenous communities had to look for an alternative to keep their roots. And it is that syncretism between culture and culinary that colada morada takes place, as a symbol of indigenous rituals that were prohibited by the Spanish conquest.

Colada Morada is a magical drink, a flavor mixture between seasoning fruits, purple corn, Andean spices, and the most important ingredient, love. All served in a hot mug, after hours of preparation and shared with bread fresh out of the oven. But not regular bread, it is about tradition, remember? These biscuits have the shape of a mummy, it is a representation of our loved ones that are dead, those who were exhumed before the Spaniards arrived, and now have to be remembered in a dough, which it changed too because our Ecuadorian ancestors made them with squash, but after the conquest , the wheat arrived and the ingredients were different.

Years passed but in Ecuador we keep our traditions alive. Each November 2th in our country is the Day of Death. Nowadays, families gathered, spend the day cooking this delicious sweets; others keep the tradition of visiting their dead ones in the cemeteries and you can even find indigenous eating next to the graves and offering food to their dead relatives. But beyond our culinary roots, is one thing that makes this season special... I think I said it before... Yes, it is love. This unique bond that reunites families, relive traditions, keeps in memory the ones that left us physically, it tastes sweet, right? That's what colada morada is all about.

Secret ingredient?

Myrtle/ Arrayán

It is a purple berry that grows in the mountains, in the north and south of Ecuador. It is really hard to find now so other regions use mortiño, which is really similar and gives that special color to this sweet beverage.

Source: 

Samaniego, J. M. (2019, 26 agosto). La historia de la colada morada y sus beneficios. Cultura Científica. https://culturacientifica.utpl.edu.ec/?p=3964

Quito is the capital city of Ecuador, sits high in the Andean foothills at an altitude of 2,850m. Its mild and cold weather makes people look for warm places to stand with friends and family. Specially in December, the month of its foundation when the celebration is just around the corner. And when you mix cold weather and parties, only one thing happens...quiteños look for hard liquor. And what do quiteños drink? So many things, but especially canelazo.

Canelazo is a hot alcoholic beverage consumed in the Andean highlands of Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and northern Argentina. Its preparation is different in each region, but in Quito is traditionally made with homemade aguardiente, naranjilla juice, a local and sweet fruit, and aromatic spices. This mixture has a unique smell, so sweet and tempting that you can't skip trying it. But as innocent as it sounds, don't fool yourself, you can get dizzy really fast. This drink is so popular that street vendors sell it during the holidays in Quito. You can find canelazo everywhere and for just a dollar.

But more than a simple drink, is a tradition. It is not exactly clear where or when canelazo came from, but history tells that in the XVI century, in the colonial period people started to drink this beverage in celebrations. And until now, quiteños keep this practice. And that is what these holidays in Quito represent, the cherish of the culture, the bond with family and friends, the love of a city that takes you to the past and a canelazo that tastes like home.

Join us this December 14th for our Ecuadorian tasting menu. We will take you on trip through the regions of Ecuador highlining traditions and food from Quito, Ecuador. Lets celebrate Quito, " La Luz de America"

¡ Que Viva Quito !

Beau Jones is a local artist from Jonesboro, Arkansas known also as BEAUTOX. He started his business back in 2015 and has been a full time artist since. His work, primarily abstract, displays a variety of subjects in different mediums. He participates in juried shows throughout the US. His art influences scale from Picasso, Basquiat and Andy Warhol. He is an award winning artist and has plans to move to a bigger city to pursue his career further on the near future. Now he is the proud owner of his own gallery P E R S P E C T I V E in downtown Jonesboro. We are very proud and glad Beau is part of our Roots' community . You can enjoy   his art on display at his gallery and at our dining room walls. All Beau's artwork at our dining room is available for purchase. For more information you can go to the following links.

BEAUTOX ART

Instagram:@beautox_art

Facebook: Beautox Art - Home | Facebook 

website: www.beautoxart.com 

P E R S P E C T I V E 

Instagram:@perspectivegallery_

P E R S P E C T I V E - Home | Facebook