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Tesgüino Recipe: Sprouted-Maize Beer of Northern Mexico

By Updated 2 min read

Discover tesgüino, the sacred fermented corn beer of Mexico’s Rarámuri (Tarahumara) people. Made from germinated blue corn using wild fermentation, this ancient drink fuels the tesguüínada community labor tradition. Learn the cultural history, germination science, difference from other Mexican fermented drinks, and complete home recipe.

At a glance

Tesgüino is a thick, mildly alcoholic sprouted-maize beer of northern Mexico, made by the Rarámuri (Tarahumara) and by Yaqui, Pima, Guarijío and Tepehuán communities. Maize is germinated in the dark, ground, boiled for hours until yellow and fermented for 2–3 days in clay pots with plant 'catalysts'. Lactic acid bacteria and Saccharomyces ferment it to about 3.7% ethanol.

  • Made from maize sprouted in the dark, ground and boiled until yellow (about 8 hours for 10 kg).
  • Fermented 2–3 days in dedicated clay pots with plant catalysts such as kakwara and kaya.
  • Microbes: Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Saccharomyces, Candida.
  • About 3.7% ethanol, 0.41% lactic acid and 0.11% acetic acid.
  • Made by Rarámuri, Yaqui, Pima, Guarijío and Tepehuán peoples and mestizo communities.

Ferment profile

Origin
Northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango)
Fermentation
Mixed (lactic + alcoholic)
Main microbes
Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Streptococcus; yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida
Live cultures
Yes
Alcohol
Moderate (2–6%)

Tesgüino (also tesguino) is a thick, cloudy, mildly alcoholic maize beer of northern Mexico. It’s made by the Rarámuri (Tarahumara) of Chihuahua’s Sierra Madre Occidental – for whom it marks important events in community life – and also by Yaqui and Pima people in Sonora, Guarijío in Chihuahua and Sonora, Tepehuán in Durango, and mestizo communities in several states (FAO, 1999).

How Tesgüino Is Made

FAO’s survey of Latin American cereal fermentations describes the traditional process (FAO, 1999):

  1. Sprouting: maize kernels are soaked and left to germinate in the dark for several days. Sprouting produces the enzymes that turn starch into sugar – the same job malting does for barley beer.
  2. Grinding and boiling: the sprouted maize is ground in a stone or metal mill and boiled in water until the mixture turns yellow – about 8 hours for a 10 kg batch.
  3. Fermenting: the liquid goes into clay pots kept only for tesgüino, along with plant “catalysts” – bark, kakwara (Randia species), kaya (Coutarea pterosperma), stevia leaves and other roots and stems, depending on the region – and ferments for 2–3 days.

What Ferments It, and How Strong It Is

Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus) and yeasts (Saccharomyces, Candida) have been isolated from tesgüino, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae doing most of the alcoholic fermentation. Reported final values are about 3.7% ethanol, 0.41% lactic acid and 0.11% acetic acid, and the protein content rises during fermentation (FAO, 1999). That’s beer strength – not a drink for children or pregnancy.

Tesgüino, Tejuino and Chicha

Western Mexico’s tejuino is a relative: the Wixárika make an artisanal tejuino from sprouted maize much like tesgüino, while street tejuino uses masa and piloncillo and ferments for only a day. In the Andes, sprouted maize becomes chicha de jora. Oaxacan tejate, despite the similar name, isn’t fermented at all.

Safety Notes

Sprouting maize stays warm and damp for days, which suits moulds as well as sprouts. Moulds on maize can produce mycotoxins that boiling and fermentation don’t remove (WHO), so rinse the sprouting maize daily and throw out any kernels – or the whole batch – that turn fuzzy, green, black or pink or smell musty. Keep the fermenting pot covered and clean, and drink tesgüino fresh: it sours quickly.

Recipe: Home Tesgüino (Sprouted Maize)

Makes
About 2 litres
Hands-on
240 min
Fermentation
3–5 days sprouting, then 2–3 days fermenting at 20–27°C
Temperature
20–27°C (68–80°F) for fermenting
Difficulty
Advanced

Equipment

  • Tray or colander and a dark place for sprouting
  • Grain mill, metate or food processor
  • Large heavy pot
  • Clay pot or 3-litre glass jar
  • Clean cloth

Ingredients

  • 500 g whole dried maize kernels (clean, sound kernels – not hominy or masa)
  • About 3 litres water (for boiling, plus water for soaking)

Method

  1. Pick over the maize and discard broken, discolored or mouldy kernels. Soak in water for 24 hours.
  2. Drain and keep damp in the dark, covered, rinsing once or twice a day, for 3–5 days until most kernels have short sprouts. Discard any that turn fuzzy, green, black or pink or smell musty.
  3. Grind the sprouted maize coarsely.
  4. Simmer the ground maize in about 3 litres of water for 2–3 hours, stirring often and adding water as needed, until thick and yellow.
  5. Cool to room temperature and pour into the clean pot or jar. Cover with a cloth.
  6. Ferment at 20–27°C for 2–3 days, stirring daily, until it smells clean, sour and lightly beery.
  7. Stir and drink fresh, within a day or two. Discard it if it grows mould or smells putrid.

Frequently asked questions

What is tesgüino?

A thick, mildly alcoholic beer made from sprouted maize by the Rarámuri and other peoples of northern Mexico.

How strong is tesgüino?

About 3.7% alcohol in reported analyses – similar to a light beer.

How is tesgüino made?

Maize is sprouted in the dark, ground and boiled for hours until yellow, then fermented for 2–3 days in clay pots, often with plant catalysts such as bark or kakwara.

What's the difference between tesgüino and tejuino?

Tesgüino is a sprouted-maize beer; street tejuino is masa and piloncillo fermented for about a day and served with lime and salt. Artisanal Wixárika tejuino is closer to tesgüino.

Is tesgüino the same as chicha de jora?

Both are beers of sprouted maize, but they belong to different regions and peoples: tesgüino to northern Mexico, chicha de jora to the Andes.

Is homemade tesgüino safe?

With care: use clean, sound maize, discard any mouldy sprouts, keep everything clean and drink it fresh. It contains alcohol.

Sources

  1. Lorence-Quiñones A, Wacher-Rodarte C, Quintero-Ramírez R. Cereal fermentations in Latin American countries. In: Haard NF et al., Fermented cereals: a global perspective. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 138 (1999), ch. 4. Link
  2. WHO. Mycotoxins (fact sheet). Link
#Latin America and the Caribbean
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