Market Drink · Fermented Corn
Champús
Photo: Tory Stewart / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Champús has deep pre-Columbian roots — fermented corn drinks like it were a staple of Andean communities long before the Spanish arrived, and the tradition survived largely intact into Cali's modern markets.
Cracked corn is simmered with panela, pineapple rind, cinnamon, and lulo fruit until it turns into a thick, faintly fermented, sweet-tart drink. Market women known as champuseras ladle it from big clay pots into cups, often with a spoon for the corn at the bottom.
Why it's made this way: The corn-growing highlands feeding into the Cauca Valley kept this Andean drink alive in Cali's markets, and it remains tied to the city's Holy Week food traditions.
More from Colombia
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.