Purple Corn

Purple corn (Spanish: maíz morado) or purple maize is group of flint maize varieties (Zea mays indurata) originating in South America, descended from a common ancestral variety termed “k’culli” in Quechua. It is most commonly grown in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Common in Peru, purple corn is used in chicha morada, a drink made by boiling ground purple corn kernels with pineapple, cinnamon, clove, and sugar, and in mazamorra, a type of pudding”. In Bolivia, purple corn “Kuli” is used in Api, a smoothie served hot.