Maize

Big-kernelled Andean corn, purple maíz morado and chicha de jora – without maize there is no Peruvian cooking and no fiesta.

Maize is an annual grass growing 2–3 m tall, with a thick stem and broad leaves, male tassels at the top and female ears in the leaf axils. It was domesticated in Mexico and reached the Andes thousands of years ago, where hundreds of varieties were bred to suit different altitudes. In Peru, varieties with very large, floury kernels eaten as choclo are especially prized, as is the purple maíz morado, coloured by anthocyanins. The kernels are boiled, toasted (cancha) and fermented into drinks.

Significance in the country

Maize, together with the potato, was the basis of the Inca economy, and chicha de jora made from sprouted grain still accompanies Andean festivals today. Maíz morado is made into chicha morada and the dessert mazamorra morada, while choclo with cheese and toasted cancha served with ceviche are classics of Peruvian cooking.

Where it grows

Grown throughout the country: in the river oases of the coast, in Andean valleys up to about 3,500 m (notably the Urubamba valley near Cuzco) and in fields in the Amazon.

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