Chickpea Chicha (Chicha de Garbanzos)

Ingredients

• chickpeas (garbanzos)
• water
• ground chancaca
• 1 docena (dozen) raw purple beans (porotos morados)
• 1 docena (dozen) cloves (clavos de especia)

Instructions

1. Soak well-washed chickpeas in cold water 24 hours, then drain.
2. Grind very fine in a batán or mortar and cook with plenty of water over a lively fire three hours.
3. Strain through strong cloth, pressing out the thick juice.
4. Regrind the pulp, mix with strained juice, strain again, and combine all.
5. Ferment in an earthen vessel sweetened with ground chancaca, adding a dozen raw purple beans and a dozen cloves (5 days in summer, 8 in winter).