Frog Juice Makes Peruvians Jump For Joy
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Leslie Josephs, AP, May 4, 2007
Carmen Gonzalez plucks one of the 50 frogs from the aquarium at her bus-stop restaurant, bangs it against tiles to kill it and then makes two incisions along its belly and peels off the skin as if husking corn.
She’s preparing frog juice, a beverage revered by some Andean cultures for having the power to cure asthma, bronchitis, sluggishness and a low sex drive. A drink of so-called “Peruvian Viagra” sells for about 90 cents.
Gonzalez adds three ladles of hot, white bean broth, two generous spoonfuls of honey, raw aloe vera plant and several tablespoons of maca—an Andean root also believed to boost stamina and sex drive—into a household blender.
Then she drops the frog in.
Once strained, the result is a starchy, milkshake-like liquid that stings the throat.
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(Posted on May 4, 2007)