Ingredients
Chocolate
- 1 litrewhole milk
- 200 gchocolate de mesa, chopped
- 1cinnamon stick
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- 200 gqueso campesino or a mild fresh cheese, cubed
- almojábanas
- bread and butter
Equipment
- a tall olleta
- a molinillo
Directions
- Heat the milk with the cinnamon stick and the salt in a tall pot until it is just below boiling.
- Add the chopped chocolate and stir until it dissolves. Chocolate de mesa is unrefined and already sweetened, often with cinnamon in it, so it is not interchangeable with cocoa powder or an eating bar.
- Whisk hard with a molinillo spun between your palms until a thick foam builds on the surface.
- Bring it up to the boil three separate times, lifting the pot off the heat each time it rises and whisking between each one.
- That triple rise is the traditional method and it is what builds the foam a Bogotá cup is judged on. Boiled once and poured, it tastes the same and looks wrong.
- Pour into cups from a height, which keeps the foam on top rather than letting it break as it settles.
- Drop two or three cubes of fresh cheese into each cup and leave them for a minute.
- The cheese does not dissolve. It softens and goes stringy, and it is fished out with a spoon at the end, salty against the sweet chocolate. This is the whole point of a santafereño and it startles almost everyone the first time.
- Serve with almojábanas and buttered bread alongside.
Technique
- The cheese is eaten last, out of the bottom of the cup. Anyone who has not seen it done should be warned, or they will drink around it.
- It is named for colonial Santafé de Bogotá, and it is a breakfast rather than a dessert.
- Use a mild fresh cheese that softens without melting away. A strong cheese fights the chocolate.
Substitutions
- Dark chocolate with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, in place of chocolate de mesa.
- Mozzarella or a mild halloumi for queso campesino.
- A hand whisk if you have no molinillo, though it takes longer to build the foam.
Variations
- Made with water instead of milk, which is the older and thinner version.
- With a clove added to the pot.
- Without cheese, which is simply hot chocolate and not the same dish.
History
Hot chocolate, made from melted blocks of Colombian drinking chocolate dissolved in milk or water, traditionally served alongside cheese that is either melted directly into the chocolate or eaten on the side after being dipped, documented across Colombia, particularly associated with Bogotá, reflecting the city’s highland Andean setting and its correspondingly strong tradition of warm, comforting beverages suited to its cooler climate. Its distinctive pairing of chocolate with cheese, an unusual combination from many other global hot chocolate traditions, reflects a genuinely Colombian culinary custom, with the cheese either melting into a stretchy, gooey texture within the chocolate itself or serving as a savory contrast alongside it. Chocolate santafereño remains closely tied to Bogotá’s specific breakfast and afternoon refreshment tradition.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chocolate santafereño?
Chocolate santafereño is a drink from Colombia: hot chocolate served with cheese dropped in to melt, plus bread. Hot chocolate, made from melted blocks of Colombian drinking chocolate dissolved in milk or water, traditionally served alongside cheese that is either melted directly into the chocolate or eaten on the side after being dipped, documented across Colombia, particularly associated with Bogotá, reflecting the city’s highland Andean setting and its correspondingly strong tradition of warm, comforting beverages suited to its cooler climate. Its distinctive pairing of chocolate with cheese, an unusual combination from many other global hot chocolate traditions, reflects a genuinely Colombian culinary custom, with the cheese either melting into a stretchy, gooey texture within the chocolate itself or serving as a savory contrast alongside it. Chocolate santafereño remains closely tied to Bogotá’s specific breakfast and afternoon refreshment tradition.
How long does Chocolate santafereño take to make?
Chocolate santafereño takes 5 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 cups. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chocolate santafereño?
Yes, within limits. Dark chocolate with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, in place of chocolate de mesa. Mozzarella or a mild halloumi for queso campesino. A hand whisk if you have no molinillo, though it takes longer to build the foam.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chocolate santafereño?
Pour into cups from a height, which keeps the foam on top rather than letting it break as it settles.
