 Chicha served in a vessel known as a poto | |
| Region of origin | Catacaos, Peru |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | corn |
Corn beer is a beer style made from corn (maize). The drink is a traditional beverage in various cuisines. Chicha, the best-known corn beer, is widespread in the Andes and local varieties of corn beer exist elsewhere.
Corn beer in the Andes has pre-Incan origins. There is archaeological evidence that elite women were responsible for brewing in the Wari culture (600 to 1000 AD).[1]
In 1796, John Boston created a corn beer, the first fermented alcohol beverage commercially produced in Sydney, Australia.[2]
A recipe for corn beer appears in Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, Medical, Economical, and Agricultural (1863) by Francis Peyre Porcher.[3]
Italian beers Peroni and Nastro Azzuro are made from maize and barley malt.[citation needed] KEO beer from Cyprus is also made with maize, giving a characteristically bitter taste.
Chicha is popular in Peru and is served in Arequipa's picanterías.[4]
Tesguino is a corn beer made by the Tarahumara people of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. It is brewed for local celebrations related to Holy Week.[5] For the Tarahumara, the beer is an elixir for healing and a barter item and is considered a sacred beverage.[5]
Umqombothi is the Xhosa language word for a corn beer made in South Africa from maize (corn), maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast and water.
