LA COLADA

[Marta Elena Díaz García]

LA COLADA.
This is a term commonly used to refer to washing. This term has nothing to do with the way in which washing is made today; however, it is very popular.
The real “colada” was performed by leaching the white ashes obtained in the old wood cookers using very hot water. The ashes were put in a esparto grass fabric and the hot water was added over them. The resulting liquid containing the soluble components present in the ashes (mainly potassium oxide) was poured over linens, sheets and towels to bleach them.
So, colada = leaching. Nothing to do with washing using machines.
The chemical term for leaching in Spanish is “lixiviar” and from this, the terms “lixivia” in Portuguese and “lejía” in Spanish to refer to the bleach.
In the picture, you can see an Asturian lady doing “la colada”. I remember my mother describing the way in which my grandmother made “la colada” when she was a little girl.