The drink that had me most excited this week was Chicha Morada (or roughly translated to Purple Corn Drink). T'is a drink that originates from the Inca people and is prominently featured in Peruvian cuisine (or so I'm told) and has many "flavors" of preparation. All involve boiling some purple corn/maize and letting its flavor and color leech into the water. Adding a number of spices and other ingredients results in a mixture that is quite piquant (a word meaning "spicy", but in the context of kitchen spices like cinnamon and clove).
Its final form in our case was after squeezing in some lime juice and adding our sliced granny smith apples. First off, the apples. The sourness of the apples completely drops off and they become pleasantly sweetened (and dyed that deep red color).
The chicha itself gains this confectionary floral smell to it that reminds me of a strawberry shortcake! It smells quite literally like a bakeshop. Its flavor is slightly tart and a little dry, but super tasty, especially chilled. I think whatever you float in it imparts a lot of flavor to the chicha since my batch is very appley. Other fruits to try would be pears, pineapples or prunes!
Chicha Morada
Chicha Morada
- 1 pound (450 g ~ 4ish Ears) Peruvian Purple Corn/Maize on the Cobb
- 1 gallon (4 L) Water
- 1 Large Cinnamon Stick
- 6 Whole Cloves
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) Sugar
- 3 Apples or Pears
- 4 Limes (Key limes preferred)
Method: Place corn, cinnamon, and cloves in the water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add sugar. Let cool and store for about 3 hours (pre-Chicha is complete! This can keep for a few weeks in the fridge) When serving, juice the limes into the pre-Chicha and float your cut apples!
Garnish: Various fruits but especially apples!
Credits: The Country of Peru, with recipe provided by the Spruce Eats https://www.thespruceeats.com/chicha-morada-4156888
Notes: Until the corn kernels begin to split, you can keep making more Chicha from them!
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