Pura Aventura Active Holidays in Comfort

Petty Hackers: Chile & Peru

One of Michelle Bachelet's (Chile's new president) first tasks will be to patch up the rocky relations with her northern neighbour, Peru. The historic rivalry between the two countries recently plumbed new depths with nationalistic hackers infiltrating each other’s government websites and fly-posting claims to disputed sea boundaries, seafood and Pisco, the local tipple. One particularly inflamatory message was found on the Chilean National Emergency Office Website:

"Nobody can match our ceviche (citrus-cured fish) and Pisco, or equal their quality"

Fighting talk indeed. What’s interesting is that there are some serious issues affecting relations between the two countries – border disputes, arguments over fishing rights, even questionable arms sales and yet it’s the rather Quixotic battle over Pisco that gets temperatures rising. If you don’t believe me, go to the Peruvian Embassy website at www.peruembassy-uk.com and there on the right hand menu alongside links for ‘Political’, ‘Art & Culture’ and ‘Trade & Industry’ is a link for ‘Pisco is Peruvian’.

Relations between the countries are not dissimilar to any neighbours where there have traditionally been large income disparities – Spain & Portugal, USA & Mexico, Chile & Peru. In all of these cases, the fault lines really appear along cultural lines. To an outsider it can seem almost comical but this potent little drink really does sit on top of a whole heap of historical upset. The outcome of trade disputes and border arguments are matters for the politicians but for the ‘man in the street’, it’s the Pisco that counts.

Pisco is actually a port in Peru from where the drink was exported so there is no doubt that the cultivation and production of the drink started in Peru. However, Chile produces, exports and drinks far more of the stuff. Although, back in the 1930s a Chilean town changed its name from Union to Pisco Elqui, this was not enough to impress the Organisation of Intellectual Property Rights in Geneva which recently ruled that Pisco is a Peruvian product.

This ruling has led to some fantastic rebranding suggestions being made to Chile from, one suspects, rather less than friendly Peruvians. My favourite is for Chile to rename its Pisco, ‘Tresicuatrisco’. The fantastic thinking here is that since Pisco is named after a place in Peru, the Chilean version should have a similarly geographical name. Chile is divided into numbered regions, Pisco being produced in the III (tres) and IV (cuatro) regions of the country. We are led inevitably to conclude that ‘tresicuatrisco’ is a good name. The fact that it’s unpronounceable was clearly of no concern.

To put some sense of scale to the economics – Peruvian exports are generally around us150,000 per annum although some claims put this at nearer us250,000. Chile manages to export 5-10 times that amount but even so, Pisco is really not a large money-spinner but next time you meet a Peruvian, ask them about Pisco and you’ll most likely get a strong opinion. Locals can take a break from hostilities on 04th February, Peru’s National Pisco Sour* Day. Chile fights back on 08th February with the unofficial Piscola** day.

** In Chile, the most common Pisco based drink is to mix it with cola – hence ‘piscola’.

* Pisco Sour is a delicious lime based cocktail. For recipes and to learn more about Pisco generally, click here.