Canjica

Brazilian sweet white hominy in coconut milk: the most beloved dish of Festa Junina, simmered with cinnamon and cloves until the corn blooms soft and the sauce becomes a fragrant, golden cream

Origin: Brazil

From the journey of Corn.

Canjica is the centrepiece of Festa Junina; Brazil's great June harvest festival, celebrated across the country with bonfires, forró music, and food rooted in the corn harvest. The festival's name honours Saint John the Baptist, but its spirit is older: a celebration of winter rains and the June corn harvest in the interior. Canjica uses canjica corn; white hominy corn (maize kernels processed by nixtamalisation to remove the hull), simmered in sweetened coconut milk until the kernels burst open and thicken the liquid into a pale, creamy, fragrant porridge. It is served warm in cups at the June festivities and eaten throughout the year as a comforting dessert. In northeastern Brazil, canjica is sometimes called mugunzá, made with the same corn but often with coconut milk and peanuts in a savoury version. The sweet version served with cinnamon and condensed milk is the one known and loved by Brazilians across all regions.

Ingredients

Canjica

500 g canjica corn (white hominy corn), soaked overnight
400 ml full-fat coconut milk
200 ml sweetened condensed milk
500 ml whole milk
2 sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves
3 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste

To serve

1 tsp ground cinnamon, to serve
50 g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve

Method

Drain the soaked canjica corn. Place in a large pot, cover with fresh water by 5cm, and cook over medium heat for 45–60 minutes until the kernels are completely tender and some have split open. Drain.
Return the cooked corn to the pot. Add the whole milk, coconut milk, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until the corn is very soft, the liquid has thickened, and the spices have perfumed everything.
Stir in the condensed milk and sugar. Taste and adjust sweetness. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Serve warm in cups or bowls, dusted with ground cinnamon and scattered with chopped peanuts.

Notes

Canjica corn (white hominy) is available at Brazilian grocery stores and some supermarkets. If unavailable, use tinned white hominy; drain, rinse, and skip the first boiling step; add directly with the milk and reduce total cooking time. The peanut garnish is traditional in São Paulo; in the Northeast it is common to stir peanuts directly into the canjica. Pamonha (corn paste steamed in husks) and curau (corn pudding) complete the Festa Junina corn trifecta.

The Gastrographer

Name: Canjica
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Brazil
Ingredients: 500 g canjica corn (white hominy corn), soaked overnight; 400 ml full-fat coconut milk; 200 ml sweetened condensed milk; 500 ml whole milk; 2 sticks cinnamon; 6 whole cloves; 3 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste; 1 tsp ground cinnamon, to serve; 50 g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control