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| Mocachino at Cafe Nuevo Mundo |
It would be difficult to think of Oaxaca without thinking of Chocolate. Chocolate has been used as a drink for nearly all of its
history. Chocolate is produced
from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at
least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Genetic studies
suggest that the plant originated in the Amazon basin and was gradually
transported by humans throughout South and Central America. The scientific
name, Theobroma, means "food of the gods". The majority of the
Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs, who made it
into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter
water". Its earliest documented use is around 1100 to 1400 BC in Puerto
Escondido, Honduras. The Maya civilization grew cacao trees and used the cacao seeds to make a frothy, bitter drink. Maya hieroglyphs indicate that chocolate was used for ceremonial purposes. By the
15th century, the Aztecs gained control of a large part of Mesoamerica, and
adopted cacao into their culture. They associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal,
the goddess of fertility, and often used chocolate beverages as sacred
offerings. The Aztec adaptation of the drink was a bitter, frothy, spicy drink
called xocolatl, made much the same way as the Mayan chocolate drinks. It was
often seasoned with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote, and was believed to
fight fatigue, which is probably attributable to the theobromine content, a
mood enhancer. Because cacao would not grow in the dry central Mexican
highlands and had to be imported, chocolate was an important luxury good
throughout the Aztec empire, and cocoa beans were often used as currency.
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| Mayordomo and La Soledad are the two largest chocolate sellers in Oaxaca but there are many others |
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| Grinding chocolate in a molino |
The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste,
and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried, then cleaned, and
then roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then
ground to cocoa mass, pure chocolate in rough form. Oaxaca does not grow the
cocoa beans but imports roughly eighty percent from the state of Tabasco and
the rest from Chiapas. It is often ground with sugar, cinnamon or vanilla, and
almonds, and formed into bars used to prepare hot chocolate, tejate, atole, and
as an ingredient in some moles. You can also get your chocolate fix via nieve or pasteles such as muffins or pan au chocolate.
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Hot chocolate is made either with hot milk or hot water
traditionally whipped with a wooden whisk called a molinillo held between the
palms using a back and forth motion until the chocolate is aerated and frothy.
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| Tejate vendor in Etla |
Tejate is a maize and cacao beverage, originating from
pre-Hispanic times it is the original energy drink. Toasted maize
flour, fermented cacao beans, mamey pits and flor de cacao (also known as
rosita de cacao) are finely ground into a paste. The paste is mixed with water
by hand. When it is ready, the flor de cacao rises to the top to form a pasty
foam. It is served cold, as-is or with some sugar syrup to sweeten it.
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| Tejate and Atole vendor in the Pechote market |
Atole is a traditional masa-based Mexican hot drink. The
drink typically includes masa, water, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar),
cinnamon, vanilla and optional chocolate or fruit. The mixture is blended and
heated before serving. Atole is one of the traditional drinks of the Day of the
Dead, but is common throughout the year.
Oaxaca is also famous for its mole a rich, piquant sauce
that sometimes includes chocolate. Mole can be purchased as a pasta mix to
which you add chicken broth and tomato, or you may assemble your own using the
same ingredients that Oaxacanos have used for centuries.
