A cassava spirit distilled by smallholders in Maranhão, sometimes tinted a deep purple with anil. Its technique has Indigenous roots and it is one of the few widely made spirits in the world built on a root rather than a grain or fruit.
Unlicensed distilling is a criminal offence almost everywhere, and cassava additionally has to be processed correctly to remove its cyanogenic glycosides before it is fermented at all.
What goes into it
- cassava, made into flatbread first
- water
How it is made
Cassava is grated, pressed and baked into a flatbread, which is then broken up, moistened and left in the warm until moulds and yeasts colonise it and break the starch down to sugar. The fermented mash is distilled in a simple still. The pressing and baking are also what drive off the cyanogenic compounds cassava carries.
How long it takes: a week or more of fermentation, then distilling
How it is eaten
Neat in small glasses, or mixed at festivals in Maranhão.
History
Distilled by smallholders from fermented cassava bread, a technique with Indigenous roots.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tiquira?
Tiquira is a wine & spirit from Brazil: cassava spirit distilled in Maranhão, sometimes tinted deep purple. Distilled by smallholders from fermented cassava bread, a technique with Indigenous roots.
How is Tiquira made?
Cassava is grated, pressed and baked into a flatbread, which is then broken up, moistened and left in the warm until moulds and yeasts colonise it and break the starch down to sugar. The fermented mash is distilled in a simple still. The pressing and baking are also what drive off the cyanogenic compounds cassava carries. It takes a week or more of fermentation, then distilling.
Can I make Tiquira at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Unlicensed distilling is a criminal offence almost everywhere, and cassava additionally has to be processed correctly to remove its cyanogenic glycosides before it is fermented at all.
What goes into Tiquira?
Cassava, made into flatbread first, water.
How is Tiquira eaten?
Neat in small glasses, or mixed at festivals in Maranhão.
