Guatemalan Boj

Boj —b’oj, «cane juice» in Q’eqchi’— is an ancestral, sacred drink from Guatemala’s Verapaz region: corn fermented with sugarcane juice.

It’s drunk at the community festivals of the Q’eqchi’ people and is part of their ceremonial tradition.

Guatemalan Boj

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• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 193 hours
• Yield: 20 glasses
• Category: Beverage
• Cuisine: Guatemalan

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 5 pounds of dried corn
• 5 liters of freshly pressed sugarcane juice
• 1½ tablespoons of cal (food-grade slaked lime)

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Preparation

1. Dry the corn, place it in a skillet over low heat until completely dry; in some communities it’s left to dry for up to three days on the poyo (wood stove). It can also be soaked for two days and then ground on a stone.
2. Mix, add the freshly pressed cane juice and the cal to the corn and mix well.
3. Ferment, let the mixture ferment for about eight days; after that, the boj is ready to drink.

Tips

• Use freshly pressed cane juice.
• Respect the fermentation time: about eight days.
• It’s an intoxicating drink: enjoy it in moderation.

Traditional variations

• In some communities the corn is dried for several days on the poyo; in others it’s soaked and ground on a stone.

How to serve

Serve the boj cool, in a gourd cup or glass, at celebrations and community festivals.

Recommended pairings

• Festive dishes of the Verapaz region

Did you know?

According to Q’eqchi’ tradition, boj was first made with fermented corn alone; sugarcane arrived in colonial times.