A chilled, malty Ghanaian beverage of fermented corn sweetened with deeply caramelized sugar, giving it a smoky-sweet amber color. Asaana is poured over ice and often topped with milk.
Born in the Volta Region and beloved along the coast from Cape Coast to Accra, asaana, also called elewonyo, starts with corn left to soak and sour for days. Hawkers caramelize sugar until it nearly burns, then marry it with the tangy strained corn water, a sweet-and-smoky thirst-quencher sold from glass jars on hot afternoons.
It drinks cool and silky, the soured corn lending a faint malty tang under a deep, almost burnt-sugar sweetness. The caramel gives it a smoky, molasses-like edge, and a splash of milk turns the whole thing into something between a soft drink and a creamy, grown-up treat.
A few days of wild fermentation sours the corn and builds malty aroma compounds, while caramelizing the sugar to the edge of burning develops bittersweet pyrazines that give the drink its smoky amber depth.
Variations
served plain or with evaporated milk, more or less caramelized for a lighter or smokier flavor
On the Palate
Where Asaana (Caramelized Corn Drink) sits in the Ghanaian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 15 min
Soak the corn in water for two to three days until it sours and softens.
Watch outLet the corn soak until it smells sour and softens — those days of fermentation build the malty tang that's the whole character of the drink.
- 28 min
Drain, then blend the fermented corn with fresh water into a slurry.
- 312 min
Boil the slurry, skimming off the foam, until cooked through.
- 45 min
Strain through a fine cloth to collect the smooth corn liquid.
- 56 min
In a dry pot, melt sugar over medium heat until it caramelizes to a deep brown.
Watch outMelt the sugar to a deep brown right at the edge of burning — that bittersweet caramel is where the smoky amber depth comes from, so take it dark but not black.
- 63 min
Carefully stir a little water into the caramel to loosen it, then pour into the corn liquid.
Watch outAdd the water to the hot caramel at arm's length — it spits violently as the two meet, so pour carefully and stand back.
- 73 min
Mix well, adjust sweetness, and let cool completely.
- 83 min
Serve chilled over ice, with evaporated milk if desired.
