Due to feedback from people who attempted to read my paper, I'm going to give the google doc link to it if you want to read it because it is really long and takes up a lot of space on the blog.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AXYSDePwwrDEZGdyd2RiNG1fMTg3ZmprNTM1Z3g&hl=en
Here's a summary in case you don't feel like reading a 10 page paper. : )
Last semester I took ethnobotany and did my project on mamajuana, a delicious Dominican alcoholic drink that was originally made by the Taino Indians as a tea. I figured that I would kill two birds with one stone by researching Dominican culture before I got down here and completing my project. I haven't tried mamajuana since I've been here but I hear it's offered for free in a lot of the tourist shops and every shop has a different variety. Mamajuana is made from a collection of herbs, roots, vines, and other ingredients that are put into an old bottle. In order to take out the bitter flavor, a bottle of wine is poured into it along with some honey and soaks for a week. Then it's poured off, thrown away, and a mixture of rum and wine is added. There are many different recipes valued for their different properties because mamajuana is considered a cure all. There are recipes for getting pregnant, not getting pregnant, and of course, as an aphrodesiac, the purpose that it is most known for. Dominicans have brought this beverage back with them to New York City and you can buy your own mamajuana herbs in a bottle at Reyes Botanica in Washington Heights. There are also two brands of mamajuana that have just reached the market that are available throughout Manhattan and the Bronx and is served at Mamajuana Cafe, a restaurant in Washington Heights.
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