Chicha Morada

Chicha morada is made by boiling maíz morado, a deep purple Andean maize, with pineapple skin, quince, cinnamon and clove, then straining, cooling and sweetening the liquid and sharpening it with lime. The result is dark purple, sweet, spiced and non-alcoholic, and it is the default drink with a set lunch across the country - a jug on the table, refilled. The colour comes from anthocyanins in the maize, present in unusually high concentration, which has produced a good deal of nutritional interest and a certain amount of overstatement about health benefits. The same base thickened with fruit and cornflour becomes mazamorra morada, a dessert eaten alongside rice pudding in the combination called clásico. Home-made versions vary widely; commercial bottled ones are sweeter and thinner than the real thing.

What you actually see

• The purple maize - the Andean variety that gives colour and flavour.
• The spicing - pineapple skin, quince, cinnamon and clove in the boil.
• The lunch table - a jug served by default with set menús.
• Mazamorra morada - the same base thickened into a dessert.

When to go

Year-round, at any meal. Served cold. Included with most set lunches at no extra charge.

Honest expectations

Usually very sweet - ask for less sugar if that matters. Bottled commercial versions are much inferior to freshly made. Health claims about the anthocyanins are frequently overstated. Made with water, so the usual caution applies at informal stalls.

Nearby

Every market and menú restaurant in Peru serves it; Lima's markets sell the dried maize.