AJÍ YUQUITANIA

THE YUQUITANIA

Yuquitania is an ancestral preparation made with Amazonian chili, one of the power plants of the jungle. It is a traditional preparation of different varieties of chili peppers, smoked or dried in the sun and mixed with salt.

It is the traditional spice of the indigenous peoples of the Colombian Amazon.

ORIGINS: AMAZON PEPPER

The amazonic chili pepper is an ancestral plant that has been used by indigenous cultures since ancient times and is part of the cultural heritage of the Amazon region.

In this territory there are more than 32 native varieties of chili peppers and it is one of the most important crops for the communities due to its medicinal uses, its symbology and the rituals it fosters.

The project currently works with indigenous and farming families that produce Ají Yuquitania in the territories of the Colombian Amazon: Vaupés, Guaviare and Amazonas. Each of these origins tells stories of the jungle and its people.

SMOKED YUQUITANIA

Grown and produced by indigenous women from the communities located on the Apaporis River, the Canararí River and the Vaupés River, and near Mitú.

In the Barasana language, salt is moa and it means movement, activation and work; and the chili for its part is biä and it means renewal. The relationship with the plant goes beyond being just food, for them this is a sacred plant.

Tone: Dark red and brown.
Taste: Smoked.
Spicy level: Medium-high.
Spirit Animal: Jaguar.

SUN DRIED YUQUITANIA

Cultivated and produced by farming families from Guaviare that are part of ASOPROAJI, a social project to overcome the armed conflict.

Currently, chili has become a crop that has replaced illicit crops in the region, becoming a productive alternative that brings peace and stability to the territories.

Tone: Bright to light dark red.

Taste: Dried in the sun with fruity tones.
Spicy level: Medium.
Spirit Animal: Tapir.