Frog Juice Drink: Culinary Experience in Peru

Frog Juice Drink: Culinary Experience in Peru

We’ve all heard the phrase, “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” and sometimes we follow it! We stay in B and Bs, we use local transportation, we eat at restaurants frequented by the locals.

But then….there is the really unusual activity or food like this one in Peru.

Frog juice. Yes, frog juice – to drink. Like a drink – in your mouth.

Peruvians say frog juice is a cure for:

“Frog juice is good for anemia, bronchitis, bones, the brain, fatigue, stress and it is mostly children, adults, persons with anemia, respiratory issues and sometimes tuberculosis..”

I’m wondering why ‘bones’ need curing. I’m pretty sure I would have to be in serious need of a cure in order to choke down frog juice.

When you order the healthy frog juice, a live frog is taken out of the aquarium and beaten on the counter to kill it (EW) and then peeled (Double EW) and then put in the blender (OMG! EW!). The liquid is then poured into a glass.

The problem with this activity (If drinking frog juice isn’t enough of a problem in and of itself.) is that that some of the frogs are endangered. The Titicaca water frog lives in the high altitude rivers that feed into the Titicaca lake and has shrinking numbers.

The locals concern about the frog population number is lacking. An owner of a frog juice shop was quoted by BBC saying,

“We all know that, but well… When they disappear, they disappear. But while we have them, we can help people with this drink.”

Do you have the stomach for this drink? How adventurous are you when you eat in another country? I would LOVE to hear from someone who has tried this!!

What is the strangest thing you’ve eaten on vacation? I personally like to try teas and chocolates even though neither is very unusual!

Happy and Tasty Travels,

Natalie, The Educational Tourist