Chicha — Andean Ancient Fermented Corn

Chicha has been produced in the Andes for at least 3,000 years (based on archaeological evidence from Peru and Bolivia). The Inca Empire systematised chicha production on an industrial scale — large aklla wasi (houses of chosen women) produced chicha for redistribution. Spanish colonisers documented and sometimes prohibited chicha production from the 16th century as part of cultural suppression.

Chicha is one of the world's oldest and most culturally significant fermented beverages — a term applied to a broad family of traditional Andean fermented drinks, most famously chicha de jora (fermented from germinated maize/corn) and chicha de morado (a non-fermented purple corn beverage), produced and consumed throughout Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and other Andean nations for at least 5,000 years. The Inca Empire used chicha as a sacred beverage central to religious ritual, social bonding, and political economy — it was produced and distributed by the state, brewed by selected women (aqllakuna, 'chosen women'), and consumed at all major ceremonies. Traditional chicha production involves germinating dry maize kernels, drying them, grinding, and fermenting — sometimes using saliva-based amylase (chewing the corn) as a saccharification method, making it one of the few fermented beverages using human enzyme activity in production. Chicha morada (the non-fermented purple corn drink) is Peru's national beverage and one of the world's most consumed indigenous beverages by volume.

FOOD PAIRING: Chicha is inseparable from Andean cuisine from the Provenance 1000 recipes. Chicha de jora: Cuy al Horno (roast guinea pig — the traditional Andean feast pairing), Lomo Saltado (Peruvian stir-fry), Ceviche Classico (the acid of the chicha mirrors the citrus in ceviche). Chicha morada (non-alcoholic): Ceviche (the sweetness bridges the acidity), Peruvian-style Rotisserie Chicken, Anticuchos (grilled beef hearts), Empanadas.