Things Go Better With… Coca

Posted By elissa on Feb 8, 2011 | 1 comment

A new superfood is making a big splash in Bolivia. It’s said to contain more vitamin A than any other fruit, as well as twice the calcium of milk. It’s stimulating and is known for its “blood oxygenating” properties. And it has a long history of medicinal use.

But don’t look for it here in the US any time soon.

Why not? It’s a casualty of the War on Drugs.

Walk into a supermarket in Bolivia and witness the unfolding of what might have been the world’s next big food fad. The aisles are lined with boxes of cereals, cookies, candies, granola bars, soft drinks and even flour tinged the earthy green color of the exalted coca leaf. One dubiously neon-lime liquor, Agwa de Bolivia, advertises “a coca leaf way of life.” A new soft drink, Coca Brynco, was launched with government support on Jan. 18. Touting extraordinary health benefits, including both energy-boosting and appetite-suppressing properties, these sweet, nutty-tasting coca products are burning hot in South America. Coca is even making inroads in fine dining; South America’s most famous chef, Peruvian Gaston Acurio, uses the leaf to season meat and shellfish, and to make Andean-style cocktails. But, unfortunately, without a plane ticket, you probably won’t be enjoying one of his coca sours any time soon. Outside of the Andes, coca isn’t really known for its culinary and medicinal uses. It’s mostly known as the raw source of cocaine.

Pity, really… as it looks like an interesting and healthful herb in its unrefined state. Beyond that, coca leaf products provide Bolivian farmers with a legal market for their crops and could provide an economic boost to the country. It would be nice to see coca decriminalized, at the very least.