🥤 DRINK
Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink)
Maize soaked and sprouted, ground and soured in water, then strained into a pan of dark caramel and served ice-cold, tangy, malty and sweet.
Togolese · medium · serves 8
prep 30 min · cook 15 min · plus 5 days hands-off time
~97 cal · 0g protein · 25g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 25g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Liha is one of Togo's best-loved drinks, a speciality of the Maritime Region around Lomé. It is made from maize that is soaked and left to sprout, then ground, mixed with water and left to sour before it is strained and sweetened with sugar cooked to a caramel, which gives it its amber colour and its taste of toffee and malt.
It belongs to a family of sprouted or maize drinks along the coast: tchakpalo in Benin, asaana in Ghana, dolo or apissé in Côte d'Ivoire. In Lomé it is sold cold by local vendors, and a Togolese producer now bottles it for supermarkets, shops and restaurants.
It is served very cold, sometimes with a spoonful of evaporated milk, as a refreshing and filling drink on hot days.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
- 500 g dried white or red maize kernels
- 2 litres water (for grinding and souring)
- 200 g sugar (for the caramel), or to taste
- 4 tbsp water (for the caramel)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)
Instructions
- 1Wash the maize, cover it generously with water and leave it to soak for 24 hours.
- 2Drain it, spread it in a bowl or tray, cover with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm, dark place for about 3 days, sprinkling it with water once a day, until most kernels have short white sprouts.✎ Chef’s noteSprouting is what makes liha malty: the germinating grain turns its starch into sugars. Rinse the grain if it starts to smell sour or musty before it sprouts.
- 3Rinse the sprouted maize and grind it with some of the 2 litres of water in a blender, in batches, to a fine slurry. Stir in the rest of the water and the ginger, if using.
- 4Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 day, until pleasantly sour, then strain it through a fine cloth, squeezing well. Discard the husks.
- 5In a large pan, cook the sugar with the 4 tbsp water over medium heat, without stirring, until it turns a deep amber caramel.
- 6Take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in the strained liquid, which will spit and seize the caramel. Return it to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer for 10 minutes until the caramel has dissolved.
- 7Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve very cold, over ice.✎ Chef’s noteA spoonful of evaporated milk stirred into each glass is a popular way to drink it.
Togolese Maritime Region tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Lomé. The coast supplies the protein and the lagoons behind it supply more. Fish is grilled whole or smoked and dropped into the sauces, groundnut sauces do the rest, and the starch shifts between fufu pounded from cassava and yam, akoume, and plain rice depending on the household.
🗺️
Togo. Togo is a narrow strip running from the Atlantic to the Sahel, and its food changes as you go up it. The coast has fish, coconut and cassava; the middle has yam and maize; the dry north turns to millet, sorghum and shea butter, and the same household dish shifts its starch accordingly rather than its logic.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Togo
Gboma DessiA rich Togolese spinach stew simmered with tomato, red palm oil, and beef or fish.
AyimolouA one-pot of rice and beans cooked together and served with a spicy pepper sauce, Togo's breakfast.
DjenkouméA savory red maize-meal paste cooked with tomato and palm oil, served with grilled chicken, a Togolese celebration favorite.
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Good to know
You’ll need: Blender.
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Togo meal
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink)?
Maize soaked and sprouted, ground and soured in water, then strained into a pan of dark caramel and served ice-cold, tangy, malty and sweet.
Where does Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink) come from?
Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink) is a Togolese dish from Lomé, Togo.
Can Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Liha (Togolese Sprouted Maize Drink) take to make?
About 5 days in all: 30 minutes prep and 15 minutes cooking, plus 5 days of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 8.
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