The Unexpected Fermentation Process Of Chicha, South America's Popular Corny Drink

Chicha is a drink with a rich and expansive history. A staple in the Andean region of South America with roots preceding the Incan empire (likely as far back as 5000 B.C.), chicha has taken many forms and served many purposes throughout its existence, especially as its popularity grew and spread from region to region. Some of these differences include the plant source used as the base, whether the drink was alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and even the method of fermentation. While the techniques vary, one of the more common ways to ferment chicha comes from an unexpected source: human saliva.

It turns out that the enzymes in saliva are capable of kicking off the process of turning starch into sugar — who knew? Well, the Churajon, Chavin, and Incans, to name a few. Incan brewers, generally a group of chosen women known as "aclla cuna" or "virgins of the sun" would chew ground cornmeal until it became a moistened paste and then use that as the mash which would be boiled and then strained. This process allowed brewers to expedite the malting phase of the corn's fermentation.

For the germ-conscious among us, it's worth noting that the alcoholic fermentation process is generally enough to kill most bacteria that might be found in saliva. It's also not a practice unique to the Andes. There are examples of this technique being used as widespread as Brazil, Finland, and Japan throughout the history of humanity's experimentation with alcohol. Chicha may not have the brand recognition of, say, a caipirinha or a caiporoska, but we'd just as soon drink one anyway.

Chicha is best known as a drink that comes from corn — in fact, the word's origin comes from the indigenous Panamanian word "chibcha" which means "maize." But as it spread to regions of the Andes with other staple crops, it was also produced using cassava, kiwicha (otherwise known as the "love-lies-bleeding flower"), and even quinoa. Chicha de Guiñapo is a particularly popular variation that uses purple corn and results in a beautiful, indigo drink.

The drink was used both in daily life and also in religious ceremonies and rituals, whether as an offering to the dead or to transition from girlhood to womanhood. During the Colonial period following the Spanish invasion of the region, places to produce and consume chicha, called chicherias and picanterias, rose in prominence, a legacy which some areas in Peru maintain to this day. Chicha was also used to preserve meat stews, which combined with Spanish culinary influence to produce what we now know as Peruvian adobo, especially in the region of Arequipa, which is known both for its adobo and its longstanding history of the use of traditional chicha practices. Not all chicha is made from chewing corn, but it's a practice that still exists to this day, if you know the right place to look.