Aztec Atole
One day, I hope to live in the Chocolate Belt: that narrow strip around the equator where cocoa trees grow. How great would it be to have your very own cocoa pods dangling outside your front door? The process of transforming the raw bean into a chocolate bar is a very long and complicated one, but it sure would be fun to try! Until then, however, I’ll be content with seeking out close-to-the-source chocolate products like nibs and bars made with 100% Criollo cocoa.
Chocolate was originally consumed in large quantities by the Aztecs, who mostly enjoyed theirs unsweetened (or lightly sweetened) and in liquid form. According to accounts written by Spanish explorers, the modern-day Mexican atole — a corn-based drink — is probably similar to what the Aztecs would have prepared. Key ingredients include ground dried corn, spices, and a hint of sugar.
Given my obsession with not-so-sweet chocolate, I decided to come up with my own version of atole con chocolate. It’s quite different than an American hot chocolate — much, much less sweet, for one thing, plus it has a spicy kick. And thanks to the toasted cornmeal, it kind of reminds me of popcorn. (In a chocolatey kind of way.) Just be sure to use sweet paprika and not smoked paprika!
Aztec Atole con Chocolate
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T. toasted, ground cornmeal (toast some coarsely-ground cornmeal at 200 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the grains are fragrant and slightly browned, then grind the toasted cornmeal in a coffee grinder, saving any leftover toasted and ground cornmeal in a glass screw-top jar)
1 tsp. powdered sucanat OR honey (see previous post about creating healthy chiffon cakes by powdering your sucanat)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Use a fork or a whisk to stir all ingredients EXCEPT the vanilla together in a mug, then fill mug with boiling water. Stir until the sucanat and cocoa dissolve. Add vanilla to slightly-cooled cocoa and stir again. (Since the vanilla extract is water-based, blending it with boiling water would cause much of its aroma and flavor to dissipate and be lost. Adding it at the end ensures that that won’t happen.) Taste to see if the blend is sweet enough for you — if it isn’t, add another teaspoon of sucanat and stir again.
Enjoy!
Note: because atole is a much thicker mixture than traditional American cocoa, you’ll probably have to keep stirring it as you drink it. Apparently, the Aztecs made theirs so thick that their stirring utensils would stand straight up. Now, that’s a chocolate drink!
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