Zoe Saldaña Says Drinking Mamajuana Is ‘Celebrating Something Authentically Dominican’
Zoe Saldaña is one of our favorite actresses, whether playing stellar, fierce warrior Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” or tugging at our heartstrings in the Netflix series “From Scratch” (yes, you need that big box of tissues).
While you might be well-aware of Saldaña‘s acting prowess, you may not know a lesser-known fact about her: she speaks perfect Spanish. The New Jersey-born 44-year-old star is Dominican-Puerto Rican, and has clearly never lost sight of her roots.
Saldaña speaking Spanish is the content we needed today
mitú sat down with Saldaña to get the scoop on one of her favorite drinks (spoiler: it’s a Dominican legend). That being said, her Spanish is equally amazing.
As shown in the video, Zoe Saldaña wholeheartedly agrees that Dominican national drink mamajuana cures absolutely everything.
Many Dominicans say the mix of rum, red wine, honey, spices and herbs has several health benefits. Meanwhile, VICE reports how many say mamajuana improves energy, circulation, congestion, and is high in antioxidants. Then there’s the famous Dominican saying: “Whatever tortures you, mamajuana takes care of it.”
Oh, and many also refer to it as the “Dominican Viagra,” so we’ll just leave that there, too.
The actress talked about mamajuana’s indigenous roots
With a laugh, the “Avatar” star says her household has countless uses for mamajuana. She explains, “When we have the privilege to drink mamajuana, it’s being able to celebrate something that is authentically Dominican.”
The actress also described how mamajuana is “native” to the country’s indigenous roots, too. It’s true: the drink is historically one of the Americas’ first distilled spirits. The Tainos first invented it as a kind of herbal tea, and the mixture soon evolved into what it is today.
As Saldaña told mitú, mamajuana is “a good probiotic,” almost like “kombucha,” and is also delicious. We know what we’re drinking this weekend!
Saldaña has always been proudly Latina
Apart from her love of the iconic Dominican drink, the actress has also often talked about the importance of her roots. Back in 2014, she told Cosmopolitan that she grew up very much Latina, reportedly living in the D.R. from the ages of 10 to 17. She said, “Spanish was my first language… I don’t say “mommy,” I say “mami.”
Meanwhile, the actress explained, “I never felt ashamed of being Latina. This is a country based on immigration.” Plus, she recently told Netflix that filming “From Scratch” was so heavy, she and co-star Eugenio Mastrandrea would speak Spanish together as their “comfort language.”
Lastly, who can forget Saldaña’s forever-iconic video showing Gamora speak Spanish? Never forget!
