Chicha de jora — the fermented maize beer of the Andes — is one of the oldest fermented beverages in the Americas, predating European contact by millennia. Made from sprouted, dried, and fermented maize (jora), it was the sacred drink of the Inca Empire and remains a central element of Andean food culture. Culinarily, chicha de jora is used as a marinade and cooking liquid — its mild alcohol content, acidity from fermentation, and complex corn flavour adding a dimension to preparations (like adobo) that water alone cannot provide.
- **Jora production:** Maize kernels sprouted, then dried and ground — the sprouting activates amylase enzymes that convert the starch to maltose, providing the sugar for fermentation - **Fermentation:** Mixed with water, boiled, then fermented with wild yeasts in clay vessels (traditional) or stainless steel (modern) - **Flavour:** Mildly sour (from lactic acid and acetic acid fermentation), slightly sweet, with a pronounced corn flavour - **Culinary use:** In adobo (pork marinade), as a braising liquid for lamb and pork, as the acid component in certain sauces
Peru (Acurio)