Chicha de maíz is a traditional corn drink of the Andean highlands, predating the Spanish by millennia. In Argentina's northwest, in Salta and Jujuy, it is made and drunk at regional celebrations, harvest festivals and family gatherings. The traditional method involves sprouting corn (malting it), grinding the sprouted grain, boiling it into a thick liquid, and then fermenting it for several days with wild or added yeast. The result is a thick, cloudy, mildly alcoholic drink with a sweet-sour corn flavour. A non-alcoholic version, made simply by boiling sprouted corn flour with sugar and water, is also common, especially for children. The drink is a direct link to the pre-Columbian past, shared across the Andes from Colombia to Argentina.
Thick, cloudy, golden, with a sweet-sour corn flavour and a faint fizz from fermentation. The alcoholic version is mildly boozy; the sweet version is a child's drink. Earthy, ancient, unlike any European beverage.
The technique is malting and fermentation, the same process as beer-making but with corn. Corn is soaked and sprouted for several days until the shoots appear, converting starches to fermentable sugars. The sprouted corn is dried, ground, and boiled with water into a thick porridge. The porridge is cooled, thinned with water, and left to ferment for 3 to 7 days, wild yeasts from the air or added yeast converting the sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. The result is a thick, cloudy, mildly alcoholic drink. A simpler non-alcoholic version skips the fermentation: sprouted corn flour is boiled with water and sugar into a thick, sweet beverage. The sprouting is the key step, as it provides the sugars that drive both the flavour and the fermentation.
Variations
Some add fruit or spices during fermentation. The alcoholic strength varies by fermentation time.
On the Palate
Where Chicha de Maíz sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
5 steps · 20 min
- 16 min
Soak 500g dried corn in water overnight; drain and spread on a damp cloth, keeping moist, for 3 to 4 days until it sprouts.
Watch outKeep the sprouting corn damp but not wet for 3–4 days until the shoots just show — dry and it won't sprout, waterlogged and it rots.
- 26 min
Dry the sprouted corn in the sun or a low oven; grind to a coarse flour.
- 36 min
Boil the flour with 3 litres water for 1 hour into a thin porridge; cool.
- 44 min
For the sweet version: add 150g sugar, stir, and serve warm or chilled.
- 54 min
For the fermented version: leave the cooled porridge in a covered container 3 to 7 days until lightly fizzy, then strain and serve.
Watch outFor the fermented version, watch for a light fizz at 3–7 days — that bubbling means it's ready; go too long and it turns sharp and sour.
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