Preparation Authority tier 1

奇恰 Chicha: The Andean Fermented Beverage Tradition

Chicha — the fermented beverage produced from corn (and, in some traditions, quinoa, molle berries, or other Andean crops) — is the oldest continuously produced alcoholic beverage in South America, with production documented to at least 1000 BCE. Chicha was not merely a drink but a sacred, ceremonial, nutritional, and social institution in Andean culture — the Inca ritual system was built around chicha production, and the chicha aklla (the women responsible for producing chicha for state ceremonies) were among the most respected figures in Inca society.

Overview

Chicha production — the traditional technique and its contemporary applications.

Source

MOROCCAN/MAGHREB DEEP + ANDEAN SOUTH AMERICAN DEEP

Cross-Cuisine Parallels

Japanese sake (same enzymatic saccharification principle — different organism), African sorghum beer (same malted grain fermentation — different grain), Belgian lambic (same wild fermentation principl