My mother raised me to believe in the power of batidos and licuados. I know that they are a great way to get a lot of nutrition into your system with just a few gulps, so I'm game to trying different versions all the time, but this cure all "frog juice" from Peru that locals swear by, uh … I have no ganas for ranas. I'm blown away that people are chugging down frog juice and I'm even more shocked by all the stuff it's supposed to be good for.
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Let's start with what this rana juice is supposed to be good for, okay? According to Peruvian food vendor Maria Elena Cruz a batido made with a blended frog from the Telmatobius culeus species, which by the way is critically endangered," is good for anemia, bronchitis, bones, the brain, fatigue, stress and it is mostly children, adults, persons with anemia, respiratory issues and sometimes tuberculosis [who come to my stand]."
How is it made? Well, fresh living frogs are kept in a tank and when someone orders the drink, a frog is chosen, beaten to death on the counter, skinned and put in a blender sometimes with other ingredients like carrots or fruits. The result is a light green smoothie that is then chugged down. ¡GUACALA!
There is no scientific proof that frog juice is actually good for you. That doesn't mean it isn't because as we all know sometimes people "know" things before science can prove them. Still, there is no way I am going to be drinking liquefied raw frog or letting my kids drink it any time soon. Also, those poor little ranas are endangered. Are they going to have to start drinking human juice to survive? Let's let the little hoppers procreate and multiply before we drink them into extinction, no?
Check out the video below to see how frog juice is made.
Image via morrissey/Flickr
