Ingredients
The chocolate
- 200 gchocolate de mesa tablets
- or 150 g dark chocolate with 2 tablespoons sugar
The liquid
- 1 litrewhole milk
- or 1 litre water
- or half of each
To flavour
- 2cinnamon sticks
- a pinch of salt
- sugar, to taste
- 1 teaspoonvanilla, optional
Equipment
- a tall pot or jug
- a molinillo, wooden whisk
- or a hand whisk
- cups
Directions
- Chop or grate the tablets into small pieces. They are very hard and need real effort. Put the milk or water in a tall pot. Add the cinnamon sticks to it. Add the pinch of salt as well.
- Warm it over a steady medium heat. Do not let it come to a full boil. Add the chopped chocolate to the warm liquid. Stir it steadily as it all melts.
- Keep the heat low and very gentle. It takes about five minutes to dissolve. Hold the handle between your palms. Roll it back and forth rapidly.
- Work it for a full minute or two. A thick layer of foam should build on top.
- Repeat that eight or ten times over. Taste it once it is hot and frothy. Add more only if you want it sweeter.
- Add the vanilla if you are using it. Serving it is done immediately while hot and foamy.
- Pour it into cups from a height. That pouring keeps the foam alive. Make sure each cup gets some foam. The foam collapses within a few minutes.
Technique
- Cacao is native to the Americas, and the Maya cultivated it, drank it and used the beans as a form of currency for goods and tribute.
- Chocolate de mesa tablets are cacao, sugar and cinnamon ground together, often on a stone metate, which is why the drink stays grainy.
- A molinillo is a carved wooden whisk with loose rings that spin as it is rolled between the palms, building the foam that defines the drink.
Substitutions
- Dark chocolate with added sugar and cinnamon approximates the tablets, though the texture is smoother.
- A hand whisk, an electric frother or pouring between two jugs all build foam in place of a molinillo.
Variations
- Some households make it with water rather than milk for a more chocolatey drink.
- A version with chilli recalls the older pre-Hispanic preparation.
- Chocolate de mesa is also made in Mexico, Colombia and across Central America.
History
Cacao beans served as Maya currency and ritual drink; Guatemalan mills in Mixco and Antigua still stone-grind tablets frothed with a wooden molinillo.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chocolate de mesa?
Chocolate de mesa is a drink from Guatemala: hot chocolate whisked from ground cacao tablets with cinnamon and sugar. Cacao beans served as Maya currency and ritual drink; Guatemalan mills in Mixco and Antigua still stone-grind tablets frothed with a wooden molinillo.
How long does Chocolate de mesa take to make?
Chocolate de mesa takes 10 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chocolate de mesa?
Yes, within limits. Dark chocolate with added sugar and cinnamon approximates the tablets, though the texture is smoother. A hand whisk, an electric frother or pouring between two jugs all build foam in place of a molinillo.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chocolate de mesa?
Warm it over a steady medium heat. Do not let it come to a full boil. Add the chopped chocolate to the warm liquid. Stir it steadily as it all melts.
