Traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe | Wanderzest (2024)

FAQs

What makes Mexican hot chocolate different? ›

Mexican hot chocolate contains spices like cinnamon and chili and chopped bittersweet chocolate to create a very rich but less sweet flavor. Whereas traditional American hot chocolate is usually made with a combination of cocoa powder and/or chocolate and tends to be more on the sweet side.

SUGAR, NONFAT MILK, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, COCOA, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND/OR PALM KERNEL, AND/OR SOYBEAN), DAIRY PRODUCT SOLIDS, AND LESS THAN 2% OF CELLULOSE GUM, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM CASEINATE, SALT, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SUCRALOSE.

This is the gist of Aztec hot chocolate: mix cocoa powder with chili powder and cinnamon and you've got a mug that's sure to warm you up in more way than one. By the way, we think the best base for this drink is hot milk, not water. (It's one of our favorite winter drinks if you happen to like dipping cookies, too.)

The Aztecs used a Molinillo, which is a Mexican wooden whisk, to froth hot chocolate and other drinks such as atoles. It's a very old kitchen tool and very little historical records exist prior to the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores to Mexico.

It has a noticeably grainy texture because it's processed only to the “liquor” stage, before it's poured into the disk-shaped molds to cool and harden. Classically, it's flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. To make the drink, this solid chocolate is broken into pieces, then just melted into a pot of hot milk.

Nestlé Abuelita Hot Chocolate Tablets

This is one of the most famous brands of hot chocolate from Mexico.

As per the suit, Nestlé USA finds an issue with the distributor importing Mexican products to the U.S. This includes Nescafé, Abuelita chocolate, Nido, La Lechera, Carnation and Media Crema. Nestlé USA alleges that Nestlé Mexico products were never meant to be sold in the United States.

Abuela is just the neutral term for grandmother while abuelita is like an endearing term for your grandma, like “granny” or “nana” or something. If you were talking to your own grandma, you may refer to her as “abuelita.” But referring to someone else's grandmother, you would likely use “abuela.”

Ingredients. SUGAR, COCOA PASTE, SOY LECITHIN AND CINNAMON.

The original Mayan chocolate drink, known as “chocolatl” or “chocolha” in the Mayan language, was a spicy and bitter beverage made from roasted cacao beans. It was flavored with various indigenous ingredients such as chili peppers, spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) and vanilla.

What is Nestle Mexican hot chocolate? ›

Abuelita is a Mexican-style hot chocolate also known as chocolate para mesa (English: "table chocolate") owned by the Nestlé company. It was originally invented and commercialized in Mexico in 1939, by Fábrica de Chocolates La Azteca.

Did they drink chocolate hot or cold? Surprisingly, the Aztecs preferred it cold, whilst the Maya preferred it hot! This is a gross over-simplification, but there clearly were cultural differences.

Mexican hot chocolate includes various spices, including cinnamon, cloves, and ancho chili pepper. These ingredients give it a unique flavor that is sweet and slightly spicy.

Mexican hot chocolate has a history of over 4,000 years, whilst chocolate bars, or eating chocolate, has a short history of only about 200 years! Traveling to the different regions of Mexico, like Veracruz, Tabasco, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, you can discover chocolate drinks that you have never heard of before.

At its most basic, Mexican chocolate is made from coarsely ground cacao, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Chiles, nuts, and spices can also be worked into the mix, resulting in a complex, intense flavor. Besides its added ingredients, Mexican chocolate also has a more rustic texture than many other styles of chocolate.

Mexican chocolate should taste intense and have a rustic texture. Its flavor is due to the fact that the cacao beans are simply roasted and ground into a liquor, whereas a lot of European-style chocolate takes things a step further, using a conching machine to aerate the chocolate liquor and mellow out its flavor.

Mexican chocolate is made with cacao, sugar, and cinnamon. It boasts a grainier texture than other types of chocolate thanks to all of the extra added sugar. While cacao nibs, sugar, and cinnamon form the base of traditional Mexican chocolate, you may also see it made with almonds, vanilla, or even chiles.

It Started in Mexico

As early as 500 BC, the Mayans were drinking chocolate made from ground-up cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers (as well as other ingredients)—a much different version from the hot chocolate we know today.

Mexican hot chocolate has a different taste than other hot chocolates, as it has a bold chocolate taste and incorporates spices and flavors like cinnamon. Its unique tablet form creates a frothy and rich drinking experience.