Morocho Maize

Native to Argentina’s northwestern provinces of Salta and Jujuy, morocho maize is a variety of maize that continues to be cultivated by people of indigenous communities such as the Aymara and Quechua people. Distinguished by colorless endosperm, aleurone, and pericarp, the kernels of this maize variety are round and of medium size, and they’re arranged in about 12 to 16 rows on the ear.

Due to their hard, pearly endosperms, the kernels have a corny texture which makes them perfect as an ingredient in various traditional specialties, including aloja (a beverage made with corn), locro (a type of stew), and mazamorra (corn pap).

This maize variety is nowadays being exchanged on a small scale among the indigenous people who are still growing it, and it is commercially unavailable. Unfortunately, native maize varieties such as the morocho variety are currently at risk of becoming extinct because of the increasing cultivation of commercial grains and a decreased interest for traditional maize varieties.