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Traditional spices and herbs in Mexican chocolate drinks:

Magnolia:
Magnolia petals are common flavorings in traditional Mexican hot chocolate.

Pimienta Gorda:
Or "beefy pepper". From the Tabasco region in Mexico, where it's used to spicy up chocolate drinks.

Pochotl:
Or ”white cacao”. Related to Theobroma Cacao and used in cacao based drinks in Mexico, as in tejate.

Mamey seed:
The big mamey seed is an important ingredient in tejate.

Cacao flower:
It has nothing to do with the flowers of the cacao tree, however its petals are common as hot chocolate seasoning, hence the name.

Achiote:
Comes from the annatto tree and is used for making a refreshing chocolate drink. Besides, it also adds a deep red color.

Tejate:
Tejate is not a spice nor herb, but it's a very refreshing and common drink in Oaxaca and neighboring regions that goes back long before the arrival of the Spanish. It's enjoyed cold and consists of corn, cocoa beans, roasted and grated mamey seed, "cacao petals", potash and sometimes achiote.

Cinnamon, vanilla etc...
Cinnamon, vanilla and nuts are of course very common seasoning in traditional Mexican hot chocolate. Try for yourself! Experiment with different kinds of herbs, spices, petals or orange peel. Or why not try out different types of sugar to taste the various effects! Raw, brown, cane, Muscovado, Demerara...

Carolus Linnaeus's recipe for hot chocolate

Hot chocolate according to Carolus Linnaeus

"One dissolves 1 ounce of chocolate bar in 6 ounces of water or tepid milk and heat it up until the mixture slowly simmers, stir it over the fire for a quarter of an hour, whisk until spumous, whereupon the scum is poured into a vessel. Continuous skimming is momentous; the remains in the vessel are to be whisked anew, so that it spumes."

After giving the cacao tree its scientific name, Theobróma cacáo, in the mid 18th century Swedish physician and botanist Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) described the beverage as mild and salubrious. Chocolate was sold in pharmacies and consisted of roasted and grounded cocoa beans, sugar, vanilla, ambergris and cinnamon, all processed into viscous paste to be dried. The different ingredients, especially combined, were considered to be stimulating the nervous system and the love life. The fortifying chocolate drink was also believed to cure several maladies.

"In Sweden chocolate is the dearest beverage of all, mainly for fine ladies, whose
gusto is not accustomed to stronger spirituous drinks and in a childlike manner,
led by natural instinct, desire mild and sweet food but avoid all strong."
Carolus Linnaeus

Oaxacan mole negro or mole poblano recipe

Black mole from Oaxaca
(ca 4 servings)

3½ oz (100g) of chihuacle or cascabel chilies
1¾ oz (50g) seeded mulato chilies (save the seeds)
1¾ oz (50g) seeded pasilla chilies (save the seeds)
2½ oz (75g) butter
½ big roasted onion
¼ roasted garlic
½ tortilla bread
½ slice of dead man's bread
¾ oz (20g) blanched almonds
½ oz (15g) husked peanuts
¼ of a cinnamon stick
½ oz (15g) sesame seeds
⅓ oz (10g) husked pumpkin seeds
a pinch of aniseeds
a pinch of cummin (not caraway-seeds)
a pinch of dried thyme
a pinch of dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
2 coriander seeds
2 black peppercorns
2 cloves
2½ tbsp raisins
2¼ oz (60g) unsweetened or dark chocolate
1 lb (500g) ripe tomatoes, peeled
3½ oz (100g) tomatillos (small green tomatoes)
2 tbsp butter
raw sugar and salt
1 big chicken, cut in pieces and boiled in spicy
chicken broth with carrots, onions and herbs

Fry the chilies in a hot frying pan, but don't burn them! Put them in a big casserole with enough water to cover them. Put to boil and let simmer until tender.

Fry the onions and garlic in the remains of the frying fat. Add the bread, almonds, peanuts, cinnamon, the chili seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, aniseeds, cummin, thyme, marjoram, oregano, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, raisins and chocolate. Fry for a couple of minutes. Mash the tomatoes and chilies, strain the purée and let boil in 2 tablespoons of butter. Flavor with sugar and salt and ½ cup of chicken broth. If the mixture gets too thick thin it down with more broth. Chicken and mole is usually enjoyed with brown rice and salsa mexicana or salsa verde (green salsa), possibly also with sliced plantain fried in corn oil. Note that plantains are not ripe until almost black.

This dish was enjoyed by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at their wedding in 1929.
The recipe was kept by Diego's daughter Guadalupe Rivera and is taken from
her book "Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo".

Hot chocolate recipe from the West Indies

Caribbean hot chocolate
(ca 2 servings)

4½ oz (125g) grated unsweetened or dark chocolate or 2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 cups (500ml) full cream milk
2 tbsp Muscovado or raw sugar
½ egg yolk
½ vanilla pod
½ cinnamon stick or ½-1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground nutmeg
optional: ¼ cup (50ml) roasted peanuts or almonds

Mix the cocoa (or the grated chocolate), muscocado sugar, egg yolk and parts of the milk in a bowl. Split the vanilla pod and put it with a pinch of nutmeg and the cinnamon stick (or the ground cinnamon) in a saucepan with the rest of the milk and heat it up. Pour the chocolate mix from the bowl into the pot, remove it from the stove and stir carefully until it thickens a little bit. If you fancy: crush roasted peanuts or almonds in a mortar to sprinkle over the cup

Traditional Caribbean drink introduced in England
by Sir Hans Sloane after a journey to Jamaica.

Hot chocolate recipe from Brazil

Brazilian hot chocolate
(ca 2 servings)

4½ oz (125g) grated unsweetened or dark chocolate or 2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 cups (500ml) full cream milk
1¾ oz (50g) Muscovado or raw sugar
4-5 tbsp espresso or strong coffee
optional ½ cup (100ml) water

Dissolve the cocoa (or the grated chocolate) in the milk and heat it up. You can also dissolve the cocoa or the grated chocolate in ½ cup of water that you bring to the boil, but in that case the milk should be heated up before being added to the water/chocolate mix. Then pour in the coffee and muscovado sugar and beat it thoroughly until all the ingredients are mixed well. Serve immediately!

As they often drink their chocolate in Brazil,
where they also love having lots of sugar.

Hot chocolate recipe from Spain

Spanish hot chocolate
(ca 2 servings)

1¾ oz (50g) grated unsweetened or dark chocolate
2 cups (500ml) full cream milk
2 tbsp Muscovado or raw sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
a pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in a pot with hot milk and stir gently. Then add the sugar and a pinch of salt, then the cinnamon and vanilla essence, which is not to be confused with vanillin or vanilla sugar. Beat the egg in the bottom of a jug and pour the chocolate over. Whisk until frothy and serve immediately. Corn flour is often used as a thickener, and sometimes eggs, which then almost turn it into chocolate mousse. In Spain this thick chocolate drink is usually enjoyed with hot churros, almost abusively.

The Spanish like their chocolate thick, so thick
that a spoon will stand up in the cup.

Hot chocolate atole recipe from Mexico

Mexican atole or Champurrado
(ca 2 servings)

3½ tbsp (50ml) Maizena^® corn flour/starch
¾ cup (200ml) water
1½ oz (40g) grated unsweetened or dark chocolate
1 cup (250ml) full cream milk
4 tbsp raw sugar
optional: a pinch of crushed aniseeds

Prepare a thickening with the corn flour and 2 tablespoons of water. Pour the thickening into the boiling water and stir until it thickens. Add the milk, chocolate and sugar. If you wish to intensify the flavor you can add a couple of crushed aniseeds. Let the drink simmer over low heat until properly dissolved, about 5 minutes. Atole is not necessarily flavored with chocolate, but when it is it's usually referred to as champurrado (which comes from the Spanish word champurrar, which means to mix one drink with another). This drink is very popular in the Mexican highlands, while coffee is more common along the coasts.

Mexicans consider atole as natural with
tamale as we do with fries to the hamburger.

Recipe for Katharine Hepburn's brownies

Katharine Hepburn brownies
(ca 16 servings)

2¼ oz (60g) unsweetened or dark chocolate
4 oz (115g) unsalted butter
1 cup (250ml) raw sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla essence or vanilla sugar
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 cup (250ml) roughly chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F) and grease a baking pan with butter. Carefully melt the chocolate and the butter together in a pot over low heat and stir gently. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Then add the eggs and vanilla essence while beating thoroughly. Stir in the flour, salt and walnuts and mix well. Pour into the greased baking pan and bake it for 40 minutes. Remove pan to a rack to cool and finally cut it into 16 squares. Our tip is to almost double the amount of chocolate, or have 3-4 tbsp of cocoa powder, and almost halve the amount of sugar. Also experiment with substituting the all-purpose flour with more wholesome spelt flour.

"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate."
Katharine Hepburn
Time Magazine, November 17th, 1980

Recipe for chocolate toast

Chocolate toast
(1 serving)

4 eggs
1 cup (250ml) raw sugar
5 tbsp double cream
1 cup (250ml) full cream milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground nutmeg
unsliced bread
7 oz (200g) grated dark unsweetened chocolate

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Pour the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla essence, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a big bowl and let it sit for a while. Cut the bread in thick slices and scoop out a pocket in the middle. Fill the pocket well with chocolate and put the other slice on top of it. Then put the filled bread in the bowl with the egg mix and let them soak for a minute. Fry them carefully until golden brown. Finally put the chocolate toast on a baking pan and bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes until the chocolate is melted. It's best served with maple syrup and cream.

The word toast derives from French † toster. Originally from
Latin tōstus parched, baked from torrēre to dry with heat.

Recipe for chocolate fondue

Chocolate fondue
(2 servings)

1 lb (500g) dark unsweetened chocolate
1 ¼ cup (300ml) whipping cream
1 vanilla pod

For dipping in the fondue:
strawberries, banana, kiwi, grapes, raspberries
blackberries, marshmallows, walnuts, prunes
mandarin slices, white chocolate etc...

Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into a heavy saucepan or fondue pot together with the cream and heat i up carefully! Gently melt the chocolate in another pot over low heat, as a suggestion in a water-bath. When the chocolate is melted pour the cream into the chocolate pot and stir. The chocolate is not to boil! If you fancy a spicier fondue you can add a dash of brandy, Grand Marnier, Kahlua or Bailey's.

The word fondue derives from the french
verb fondre which means "melt, dissolve".

Chocolate menu by Jan Hedh

A chocolate menu by Jan Hed

This menu was composed by Jan Hedh and was served
October 31st, 2002, at Stadshotellet in Hässleholm, Sweden.

Note! All conversions between metric SI units (Système International d'Unités) and US/Imperial measures on this Webpage are approximate in order to facilitate usage across the borders, and may not be precise.

In English I På svenska

Recipes:
Linnaeus's hot chocolate
Black mole from Oaxaca
Caribbean hot chocolate
Brazilian hot chocolate
Spanish hot chocolate
Mexican Atole
Katharine Hepburn brownies
Chocolate toast
Chocolate fondue
Chocolate menu by Jan Hed
Traditional chocolate spices

Chocolate recipes

Hot chocolate recipe