Tesgüino is a corn beer made by the Tarahumara Indians of Sierra Madre in Mexico[1]. The Tarahumara regard the beer as sacred, and it forms a significant part of their society[2]. Anthropologist John Kennedy reports that "the average Tarahumara spends at least 100 days per year directly concerned with tesgüino and much of this time under its influence or aftereffects."[3].
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The general Tarahumara term for an alcoholic beverage is "Sugíki"; "batári" is used when the beer is specifically made from corn or lichen flour [4]; "paciki" is used when the beer is made from fresh corn stalks [5]. While tesgüino made from corn is considered the most sacred, the Tarahumara also make beer from agave[2] and wheat[4], as well as other alcoholic beverages made from fruits such as peaches, berries, crab apples, cactus fruits, and Mesquite seeds [6].
The beer is made from corn kernels which are soaked, then ground up, boiled and left to ferment naturally with wild yeast. A local grass is used in place of hops for flavouring.
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