Monthly Photos Nov 2025 : Chicha de jora, fermented drink of sprouted corn

Photos taken by ILCAA staff and associates are posted here once a month; most of them are taken during their field research in Asia and Africa. (The copyright belongs to the photographers.)

Chicha de jora is a beverage widely enjoyed across the Peruvian Andes region. While its preparation methods and ingredients vary by locality, chicha is primarily made from sprouted corn through lactic acid fermentation. The drink has a slightly cloudy appearance and a pale ochre hue, with a faint sweetness from the sugars in the sprouted corn and a sourness resulting from lactic fermentation. As a small degree of alcoholic fermentation also occurs, it sometimes contains trace amounts of alcohol and natural carbonation.
The chichería – specialty shops serving chicha – in Cusco, in this photo, control the fermentation process using three distinct containers.

September 8, 2025
A “chichería” in Cusco, Perú
FUJITA, Shu