Api (beverage)

Api ([ˈapi], from Quechua api, meaning 'mazamorra'), also known as api morado (purple api) is a sweet beverage of pre-Columbian origin that is still consumed in modern Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. It is made with purple corn, which gives it its characteristic flavor and color. Yellow corn, sugar, cinnamon in branches and cloves are sometimes added as well. It is generally served hot, but there is also a cold version. Api consumption occurs since pre-Columbian times. One of the oldest mentions of the beverage was by the chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, who wrote that the native peoples of the Viceroyalty of Peru consumed it in solid form: También hacían gachas, que llaman api, y las comían con grandísimo regocijo, diciéndoles mil donaires, porque era muy raras veces. They also made a mush, which they call api, and loved to eat it, praising it a lot, because they rarely had such opportunity.