Atole

History of Atole

Corn was the sacred staple of mesoamerican diet. First domesticated around 6000 years ago, it was harvested and used in many fashions that have influenced latin american cuisine today. Maize was eaten in a variety of forms. The Maize was prepared by boiling or soaking it in lime water and then draining it in a gourd colander. While it was still wet, it was ground on a metate--as small stone table--with a mano, a cylindrical handstone. The resulting paste was most commonly mixed with water to make pozole, a thin gruel

Most common were the tortillas and tamales which many Amercican are familiar with; but Atole, a thin gruel of fine maiz flour in water, is a ancient latino staple that is less commonly known. Atole first appeared in mayan cuisine, but continued in Aztec civilization where flavorings were added. The most common was teunacaztli...the Aztec spice of choice when combined with chocolate. This was beaten with a wooden whisk until foamy and flavored with vanilla orchid pods or sweetened with honey. This was the sacred drink, the beverage of choice for the elite of Mesoamerica.

Atole Today

Atole today is usually sweetened with raw sugar or mexican piloncillo (a dark sugar bar) and flavored with  fruit, chocolate, or other sweets.  The base is usually spiced with anise or cinnamon and milk can be added to it.  Pineapple or strawberries usually pair well with Atole. Ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures highly valued cacao and chocolate, and used it to make Chocolate Atole. They consumed it, in beverage form, for religious ceremonies and medicinal purposes. Drinking chocolate without adding flavorings, spices and other additions was almost unheard of. One of the most popular additions was powdered chilli (Capsicum annum). Flowers were popular flavorings. There were were several, including chili! Chocolate was generally consumed cool, not hot like we Americans do today.

Atole can be served as a filling breakfast accompanied by traditional fried sugar coated pastries, or churros. In the Catholic Church itself, atole is served to the congregation by the women after the novenas.  Chocolate atole, or as it is know Champurrado, is common during the Christmas holidays.

 I created my own version of Chocolate Atole, that can be served with pastries (I served it with vanilla meringues)and  it pairs wonderfully with fresh berries. To create the decadent foam, that is so prized when one drinks champurrado, I used a traditional tool called a mollinillo. You can find this for a very reasonable price at your local Mexican Market. If the texture of the masa harina is too grainy for your taste, I have heard some people substitute a few tablespoons of cornstarch. This creates a texture similar to creme anglaise, perfect to dip fruit or churros in.

Recipe

Salted caramel Champurrado
 
 2 1/2  cups warm water
 2 cup milk
 1 cinnamon stick
 1/4 cup masa harina (or 1/3 cup nixtamal)
 1 disk Mexican chocolate, chopped
 1 piloncillo cones, large, (one ounce each) chopped
 1 pinch of anise seed or ground cloves, ground (optional)
 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
 1 cup canned Nestle La Lechera dulce de leche ( or make your own)
 flake  salt

                  Directions

 1. In a medium saucepan, pour the 2 cups of milk and the cinnamon stick over medium-low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the masa harina into the 2 1/2 cups of warm water so it become incorporated.
 2. Pour the harina mixture into the saucepan, whisking so no lumps form.
 3. Add the chopped piloncillo, cayenne, anise or cloves. Slowly add the chopped chocolate
 4. Stir constantly while it begins to bubble. Lower the heat and stir until it becomes slightly thick.
 5. If you are using the molinillo to create foam, this is the time to use it. Place the larger end in the Atole, and holding the end between both of your palms, rub them back and forth until the drink becomes foamy.
 6. Serve in a mug. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dulce de leche (warm it in the microwave to melt it a bit) the champurrado and sprinkle with a bit of flake salt.

     If you are interested in learning more about Mayan and Aztec traditional foods, check out:
    
            America's First Cuisines, Sophie D. Coe 1994


  "There was not only street food in quantity but street drink as well...Hernanadez...gives descriptions of a number of variants of atolli, many of which mush have served as instant meals. Basic atolli involved taking eight parts of water, six parts of maize, and lime and cooking them together until the maize softened. This is the standard process of nixtamalization, the way to prepare maize for the manufacture of dough for tortillas and tamales, and it tremendously enhances the nutritive value of the maize."