Chicha Morada (Purple Corn Drink)
Peru's favourite soft drink: purple corn simmered with pineapple, apple, cinnamon and cloves, sweetened, brightened with lime and served ice-cold with diced fruit.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Boil the corn
Break the cobs in half and put them in a large pot with the water, pineapple peel and core, apple quarters, cinnamon and cloves. Dice about 100 g of the pineapple flesh and 50 g of apple now, cover and refrigerate to use as garnish later.
- 500 g dried
- 3 litres water
- 1 pineapple peel and core, for boiling
- 100 g diced pineapple flesh, reserved for garnish
- 1 apple, quartered, for boiling
- 50 g diced apple, reserved for garnish
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
Boil, then simmer
Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered on low-medium for about 45 minutes.
- all the corn mixture from step 1
✅ Done when: the liquid turns a deep, dark purple
Strain and sweeten
Strain the hot liquid into a large jug, discarding the solids, and stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Let it cool at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- 200 g sugar
- all the strained liquid from step 2
✅ Done when: no longer warm to the touch
Add the lime
Stir in the lime juice just before serving, since adding it while hot can make the drink bitter. Taste and adjust sugar or lime juice as needed.
- 3, juiced lime juice
- to taste sugar
Serve
Fill glasses with ice, pour in the chilled chicha, and top each glass with a spoonful of the reserved diced pineapple and apple.
- to serve ice
- 100 g diced pineapple, reserved
- 50 g diced apple, reserved
Boil the corn
Break the cobs in half and put them in a large pot with the water, pineapple peel and core, apple quarters, cinnamon and cloves. Dice about 100 g of the pineapple flesh and 50 g of apple now, cover and refrigerate to use as garnish later.
- 500 g dried
- 3 litres water
- 1 pineapple peel and core, for boiling
- 100 g diced pineapple flesh, reserved for garnish
- 1 apple, quartered, for boiling
- 50 g diced apple, reserved for garnish
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
Boil, then simmer
Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered on low-medium for about 45 minutes.
- all the corn mixture from step 1
✅ Done when: the liquid turns a deep, dark purple
Strain and sweeten
Strain the hot liquid into a large jug, discarding the solids, and stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Let it cool at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- 200 g sugar
- all the strained liquid from step 2
✅ Done when: no longer warm to the touch
Add the lime
Stir in the lime juice just before serving, since adding it while hot can make the drink bitter. Taste and adjust sugar or lime juice as needed.
- 3, juiced lime juice
- to taste sugar
Serve
Fill glasses with ice, pour in the chilled chicha, and top each glass with a spoonful of the reserved diced pineapple and apple.
- to serve ice
- 100 g diced pineapple, reserved
- 50 g diced apple, reserved
The Story Behind the Dish
Purple corn has been cultivated in the Andes for millennia, and drinks made from it are among the oldest in the Americas. Unlike chicha de jora, which is fermented, chicha morada is alcohol-free, a refreshing drink for the whole family.
Today it's on every Peruvian table, from home lunches to the finest restaurants, and is sold everywhere in bottles and cartons.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Fruity, spiced and naturally purple, it's the drink of Peru and the perfect partner for spicy food.
💡 Fun Fact
Purple corn is packed with anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in blueberries, which give it its dramatic colour.
The Andes and Lima
-12.05°S, -77.04°W
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!