You can see women beginning to mix and massage this dough at 8 in the morning in the markets of Oaxaca. They begin the preparation early but  you have to wait until 11am to have the drink which is typically consumed as a snack right before lunch. It begins with a paste made from ground corn, ground cacao, mamey seed, rosita de cacao (flower), and optional, sugar. This paste gets a hand/arm massage for a few hours while gently pouring cold water on it.

Rosita de cacao
womans hand preparing tejate

The process of massaging allows the cocoa butter to be released and creates a “whipped cream” effect which floats to the top. This drink is always made in a large clay pot which serves as a thermic vessel and once the ice is added the drink stays cool all afternoon.

Tejate prepartion

You can ask them to add sugar if you prefer a sweet drink. They serve you in gourd, a bowl made from the flesh of a local fruit. This is not to go, you drink it in front of the vender and return the bowl. Every vendor has a slightly different recipe- some add nuts and omit the mamey seed, there are many variations. You should try all of them before deciding on a favorite. In one trip to the market I try four different types, shared with friends. This is a good reason to have friends.

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tejate in green bowl

Tejate : Mexican Cacao Drink

  • Prep Time: 10 hours
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 11 hours
  • Yield: 20 servings 1x
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Description

You should probably just go to Oaxaca to make this. Otherwise you have to bring the ingredients from Oaxaca.

Tools: large clay pot

Ingredients

Scale
  • 250 grams of dried white corn
  • 25 grams roasted, peeled cacao beans
  • 2 mamey seeds, toasted and smashed
  • 20 grams of florecita de cacao- lightly toast these
  • Ice
  • Sugar to taste

 

Instructions

  1. Boil your dried corn with ash or lime to nixtamalize it. Then wash and make a masa.
  2. Grind the cacao, mamey seeds, and florecita de cacao in a molino or metate until it becomes a paste then add this to the corn masa. 
  3. Once you have massaged all the ingredients together, it is time to start adding a bit of cold water at a time. Only adding the next amount of water when the mix looks homogenous. Do this until it reaches the consistency you see in the images.
  4. Add ice and sugar and serve.
  • Category: cacao drinks
  • Method: toast and blend

Keywords: tejate, oaxaca, cacao drinks, Mexican chocolate drinks

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