Malt & Grain

Jora is malted corn, and the word also refers to the finished drink. Order chicha de jora in Cusco, and you're ordering germinated corn. The path there resembles barley malting: the kernels are stripped from the cob, soaked, and allowed to germinate. During germination, the grain develops enzymes that later convert its starch into sugar.

Afterward, the jora is washed and dried—the sun usually replaces the kiln used in barley malting. Then it's ground. These steps are familiar from the world of barley, but the grain itself is different: corn has large, starch-rich kernels, and the Andes grow many varieties, from giant white corn to purple kernels.

Some families in Cusco still make their own jora, while others buy it at the market. Quality shows in the germination: the kernels should sprout evenly, or the chicha will turn out thin. There's no malt standard here like in a brewery—every kitchen has its own timing and quantities. What malt analysis checks in Germany, the tongue checks here.

Cusqueña, by contrast, uses barley malt like the European beer Ernesto Günther brought to Cusco in 1908. The Cusqueña Trigo variety adds wheat, while the Negra and Roja varieties use darker malts. The producers don't always disclose which maltsters supply the grain. Taste both drinks side by side, and you'll notice two very different paths from grain to sugar.