Ingredients
Corn
- 250 gdried cracked white maize, soaked overnight
- 1.5 litreswater
- ½ tspsalt
- 2cinnamon sticks
To finish
- 1 litrewhole milk
- 400 gsweetened condensed milk
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- ¼ tspgrated nutmeg
To serve
- ground cinnamon
- ice
Directions
- Soak the cracked maize overnight in plenty of cold water, then drain it.
- Simmer it in the water with the salt and cinnamon sticks for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, until the kernels are soft and split but still whole and distinct from one another.
- Keep the grains whole. Chicheme is drunk with pieces of corn in it, and cooked down to a purée it becomes something else entirely.
- Keep the cooking liquid too. It has gone cloudy and starchy and it is what gives the drink its body.
- Cool the corn and its liquid completely, then stir in the milk, condensed milk, vanilla and nutmeg.
- Add the dairy only once the corn has cooled. Poured into a boiling pot it catches on the base, and that burnt note runs right through the finished drink.
- Chill for at least 4 hours, so that the cinnamon and nutmeg move properly into the milk.
- Taste and loosen with more milk if it has thickened too far, which it will do as it stands.
- Serve very cold in tall glasses with a dusting of cinnamon and a spoon, since the corn has to be eaten as well as drunk.
- It is the speciality of La Chorrera, west of Panama City, where the roadside stands sell little else.
Technique
- Whole grains, kept liquid, served cold. Everything about it is simple and all three are easy to lose.
- It thickens noticeably overnight, so make it the day before and loosen it just before serving.
- The salt in the corn water matters more than it seems. Without it the whole drink tastes flatly sweet.
Substitutions
- Tinned hominy, drained and rinsed, which takes you straight to the milk stage.
- Evaporated milk with sugar in place of condensed milk, for something lighter.
Variations
- Blended smooth, which some stands do and others consider wrong.
- With a good pinch of salt to sharpen it.
- With a splash of seco, the Panamanian cane spirit.
History
Thick drink of cracked corn, milk, cinnamon and vanilla, the speciality of La Chorrera west of Panama City.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chicheme?
Chicheme is a drink from Panama: sweet corn-milk drink with cinnamon, famed in La Chorrera. Thick drink of cracked corn, milk, cinnamon and vanilla, the speciality of La Chorrera west of Panama City.
How long does Chicheme take to make?
Chicheme takes 10 min plus overnight soaking and 4 hr chilling of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 glasses. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chicheme?
Yes, within limits. Tinned hominy, drained and rinsed, which takes you straight to the milk stage. Evaporated milk with sugar in place of condensed milk, for something lighter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chicheme?
The salt in the corn water matters more than it seems. Without it the whole drink tastes flatly sweet.
