Fiesta de la Chicha announces its return: date and place for the unmissable gastronomic event in Arequipa

Arequipa houses many treasures of our culture and one of them is the picanterías, considered since 2014 as Cultural Patrimony of the Nation. The existence of these spaces, described in historical chronicles as small shops selling chicha and other liquors, dates back to the 16th century. And despite time, the tradition is maintained.

With the creation of the Sociedad Picantera de Arequipa, a non-profit association that brings together professionals from the sector and people who identify with the picantera culture, the idea of ​​holding an event that enhances and reminds citizens of the value of this was born. heritage. Thus, since 2013, the Fiesta de la Chicha has been celebrated.

This festivity is a tribute to an emblematic drink: chicha de guiñapo, around which what its organizers describe as “a civic festival in which chicha and spicy dishes are toasted” is assembled.

For Miguel Barreda Delgado, from the Sociedad Picantera de Arequipa, the Fiesta de la Chicha “is a symbolic act in which the open and democratic spirit that picantería embodies is projected.” And this 2023, moreover, is a double celebration, as the event returns after a long halt caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party continues

“Although the picanterías, like the entire sector, suffered a severe blow due to the pandemic, the great popular roots of this type of food and the way of tasting it made these establishments stay afloat and could recover ”, explained Barreda Delgado about the return of the event with a large program that also seeks to generate a connection between Intangible Cultural Heritage, represented by the picantería, and the Monumental Heritage, represented in the Plaza de Armas of Arequipa, which will host the party .

“With the Fiesta de la Chicha we seek to enhance the values ​​of picantería and its legacy, and symbolically demonstrate that chicha is the nutrient liquid that runs from the heart of the city to irrigate it with its history and hope,” added Barreda.

The proposal on the table

This 2023, the XI edition of the Fiesta de la Chicha will have 18 participating picanterías, which will present at least 100 recipes rescued from the vast picantero legacy. These are the confirmed picanterías:

In addition to a series of jayaris and spicy dishes, you can taste various local chichas. Although sometimes some picanterías have some chicha made from white corn or another cereal, the star will be the chicha de guiñapo, made with black corn or purple corn, which enjoys a very important space on the Arequipa table.

“People of all ages and from all social sectors have drunk or drink chicha de guiñapo and know its virtues. Although it is hardly produced in homes, as it was until about 50 years ago, and despite having been abusively and unfairly displaced by industrial beverages from homes and restaurants, chicha continues to enjoy a special predilection,” Barreda said.

To accompany the gastronomic proposal, there will also be a cultural program with the participation of performers of traditional music from Arequipa and Loncca poetry.

The XI Fiesta de la Chicha will be held on Friday, August 4 in the Plaza de Armas of Arequipa, from 11:00 in the morning to 3:00 p.m.

Admission is free.