Chicha de Saril: a drink with the taste of Christmas

In Panama, chicha de saril, a drink that is easy to prepare and contains some spices, is widely consumed during the holidays, especially at Christmas.

Saril (hibiscus sabdarifa) is a red flower, it is of African origin, it is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, in addition it is mainly used in gastronomy, although it also has some medicinal properties, it is used as a medicine against cough and some stomach symptoms.

In other countries, saril is known as Jamaica, the flower of Jamaica, purple rose and obelisk, and is usually grown in tropical regions, according to Herbal Safety. You can get it locally in small bags for a dollar.

The preparation from saril chicha It’s simple and fast, you only need water, sugar and gingerthis is optional as some people don’t like it with this ingredient and prefer to use instead cinnamon or cloves of fragrance.

Zu Villa, from “Zu Cocina”, commented that first of all you should wash the saril, then remove the petals from the flower, put them in a pot and pour water, enough to completely cover the amount of Jamaica flower you have going to use.

When you break cook It is recommended to let the mixture boil for 15 to 20 minutes, then cool it and strain it to get drinkwhich can be duplicated by adding more water and sugar.

The drink can be taken cold or hotalthough many prefer the first option because it is more refreshing.

Clemencia Morales, a native of Colon, is one of those who prefers to drink this a cold drink and he likes the version with cinnamon and cloves better because it has typical aromas Christmas season.