Jugo de rana (Frog's juice)

Nobody but me wanted to taste it. But as they couldn’t let the only foreigner try something alone, everybody, in the end, took a glass of the marvelous juice.

Gastronomically, Perú is one of the best places in Latin America to enjoy the diversity and top-quality food on its daily menus. You don’t need to eat in expensive or exclusive restaurants to have a delicious meal; you can find it almost everywhere.

However, one of the most exotic food experiences I ever had was in Perú. We were returning to the office after playing a football sala tournament inside Lurigancho Prison; I asked the driver, Nicho, and all the others sitting in the car if they had tried the juice was announced on the boards of the cafeterias under the highway bridge, we turn under to go to the prison. All of them say no, sparking my curiosity further.

During the previous months, every time I visited the prison, I noticed those colorful boards announcing Jugo de Rana or Frog’s/Toad’s Juice would be the translation for that “delicacy.” Always curious about outstanding things, these little juice boots and cafeterias caught my attention, and I told myself that one day, I should stop and investigate what that was.

Well, that day unexpectedly arrived. I asked Nicho to stop the car, and Juan Carlos did the same with the second car behind us. Nobody on the team had ever tried the juice, but all of them heard about the magic results of it. Strength, virality, vitamins, and boos for immunity were some faculties attributed to this batido.

The women making and selling this fresh juice came to meet us and offer us an unforgettable experience of this exotic beverage. I ordered two jugs as we were around 12 people. Then, we were invited to witness the preparation. We were bewildered.

The juice is based on milk or water with different species, such as curcuma and coca leaves, a shot of cheap brandy, and one quail egg. When everything is in the blender, they add the final ingredient: the frogs. These lie inside an aquarium full of them and are exhibited as trophies in each stand, indicating that they come from Titicaca Lake.   

Frogs are removed from the aquarium, euthanized, skinned, and dropped into a blender before our eyes. You can see how the animal is blended with the other ingredients, giving the juice extra color and ready to be served.  

Nobody but me wanted to taste it.  But as they couldn’t let the only foreigner try something alone, everybody, in the end, took a glass of the marvelous juice.

The taste is not bad, but it is also not delicious. What makes swallowing difficult is the idea of drinking the whole frog mixed with the other ingredients. We finished the two jugs and crossed our fingers that they would not create intoxication or digestive problems before we arrived at the office or our houses.  Fortunately, this was not the case; on the contrary, some reported feeling more vital and more awake the rest of the day.

I suggested we try again on future occasions, but the faces indicated their disagreement. They even tried to change the route we used to go to Lurigancho Prison to avoid passing by the juice boots again……..