Chicha de Maiz is a fermented beverage made from corn. Long before slow-cooking became a household phrase among the stressed out urbanites of wealthy countries like Canada and the United States, the Nicaraguans knew that a good Chicha de Maíz drink can’t be hurried. If you want to make this recipe you need to start at least two days in advance.

Chicha de Maíz ingredients for 50 glasses

• 2 lbs of corn
• A lot of water for cleaning, soaking, cooking and thinning
• 1 cup of sugar cane juice
• 12 cups of sugar (or to taste)
• Red vegetable-based food colouring, e.g. pitaya juice
• Vanilla to taste

How to make Chicha de Maíz

• Clean the corn well.
• Place the corn in water to soak over night.
• Remove the water, wash the corn in fresh water, and ground the corn into a paste.
• Wash the paste and remove any husk.
• Place the paste in a pot and add 1 gallon of water.
• Bring to a boil. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• When the corn is cooked, leave it to cool down a bit.
• Mix the sugar cane juice with half a gallon of water and stir the liquid into the corn paste.
• Leave to rest until the next day.
• Mix the sweetened corn with 2 gallons of water.
• Stir in sugar, food colouring and vanilla and mix well.
• Chill in the fridge before serving.

Tips!

Today, Chicha de Maíz is often flavored using various essences, such as banana essence or raspberry essence.