Cataia
Definition:
Feb.15, 2012
Cataia (P. pseudocaryophyllus) grows in a restricted area of Brazil: the Superagui National Park in Paraná and nearby Ilha do Cardoso in São Paulo. The plant has long been used by caiçaras, the local fisherman's communities, for curative purposes, and the antimicrobial activity of its essential oils has been the object of this study.
However, what is making the plant better known to Brazilians and international tourists is its use as an infusion in cachaça which results in a drink also known as cataia and dubbed uísque caiçara.
This "whisky" embodies the plant's common name, a term from the indigenous tupi language meaning "leaf that burns".
If the plant grows beyond the Superagui island's limits, the drink's origin can be directly traced to the island, more specifically the community of Barra do Arapira, where a bar and pousada owner called Rubens Muniz claims to be the first to use cataia in cachaça.
Cataia's importance to the local community has justified sustainable extraction activity which otherwise could not be maintained on Superagui, an environmental UPI (Integral Protection Unit). Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, which manages the environmental conservation units in Brazil, allows the women of Barra do Arapira the careful and responsible extraction of cataia leaves for the making of the drink, whose sale complements their family's income.
The bottled drink can be found at Barra do Arapira, at Vila do Superagui, also on the island, and in Guaraqueçaba, the coastal city of which Superagui Island is a district.
A good way to try it would be at a fandango, a party to the sound of the eponymous rhythm. Cataia is also available at some small bars on Ilha das Peças, on Ilha do Cardoso and in Cananeia (try Cachaça Artezanal João Rios at Rua Tristão Lobo 339 first).
The plant has lent its name to a talented band from Ilha do Cardoso: Banda Cataia, whose songs blend Brazilian rhythms and their native region's themes with other influences, such as rock.
Pronunciation: ka-TIE-a
Feb.15, 2012
Cataia (P. pseudocaryophyllus) grows in a restricted area of Brazil: the Superagui National Park in Paraná and nearby Ilha do Cardoso in São Paulo. The plant has long been used by caiçaras, the local fisherman's communities, for curative purposes, and the antimicrobial activity of its essential oils has been the object of this study.
However, what is making the plant better known to Brazilians and international tourists is its use as an infusion in cachaça which results in a drink also known as cataia and dubbed uísque caiçara.
This "whisky" embodies the plant's common name, a term from the indigenous tupi language meaning "leaf that burns".
If the plant grows beyond the Superagui island's limits, the drink's origin can be directly traced to the island, more specifically the community of Barra do Arapira, where a bar and pousada owner called Rubens Muniz claims to be the first to use cataia in cachaça.
Cataia's importance to the local community has justified sustainable extraction activity which otherwise could not be maintained on Superagui, an environmental UPI (Integral Protection Unit). Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, which manages the environmental conservation units in Brazil, allows the women of Barra do Arapira the careful and responsible extraction of cataia leaves for the making of the drink, whose sale complements their family's income.
The bottled drink can be found at Barra do Arapira, at Vila do Superagui, also on the island, and in Guaraqueçaba, the coastal city of which Superagui Island is a district.
A good way to try it would be at a fandango, a party to the sound of the eponymous rhythm. Cataia is also available at some small bars on Ilha das Peças, on Ilha do Cardoso and in Cananeia (try Cachaça Artezanal João Rios at Rua Tristão Lobo 339 first).
The plant has lent its name to a talented band from Ilha do Cardoso: Banda Cataia, whose songs blend Brazilian rhythms and their native region's themes with other influences, such as rock.
Pronunciation: ka-TIE-a
