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sff_corgi_ljAside from all the hand-dipped chocolates, candy factories, chocolate body paint, yatta yatta yatta (no, I knew about that before Seinfeld), ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
selenesue's 'friend' from The Secret Life Of... got into REAL Mexican chocolate, discussing the history from the Olmecs to the Maya and Aztecs and proceeding hence to Guelaguetza Restaurant in Los Angeles (11127 Palms Blvd., right near the 405). The ladies from there showed Jim how to make chocolatl (or xocoatl, cacahuaquchtl or cacaoatl, all spellings of the Nahuatl for "cacao water") the old-fashioned way. No electric grinders or blenders for this drinking chocolate!
This would make a great demo sort of thing to do at an SCA event (although a little slow, probably, for a demo for mundanes).
First, the cacao beans are roasted in an open pan. Then I believed they're hulled at that point and put on the metate. This is a slightly curved manual grinding stone usually made from a lava rock. The mano more closely resembles a rolling pin than a pestle. The ladies ground the beans by using short strokes of the mano, using pretty much only one side of it and trying to keep the product in the middle of the metate. The stone itself was heated by coals during the whole procedure, which melts the cocoa butter in the beans and helps form the chocolate liquor. Berta, one of the assistant chocolate-makers, was giggling through most of the segment because Jim, the host, had to take his turn trying to grind and men just don't grind chocolate (and she laughed even harder when Jim tried dancing with her).
After a considerable amount of grinding, during which the cayenne and other spices were added to the beans, the chocolate was finally a paste. The paste was shaped into ring moulds and allowed to dry. To make the drink itself, a disk of chocolate is hydrated with hot water in a pitcher. Apparently the pre-Spanish 'Mexicans' used to mix and froth it by pouring from one jug to another, back and forth; modern Mexicans use a molinillo, which seems to be on a fast track to being a folk art item. This decorative mixing stick has a notched, sunburst-like disk at the bottom. Above that can be a few more disks or rings, culminating in a handle. The molinillo ('little mill') is set into the container and agitated by rubbing it between the palms, much like manual firestarting. This breaks up the chocolate disk and mixes in air at the same time.
One of the ingredients which can be added to one's chocolatl has some interesting significance:
Buying a metate y mano on-line (not an antique or an archeological piece, of course) runs at least $80, and that's before shipping a 50-lb. chunk of rock anywhere. Gourmetsleuth.com actually carries two styles, and looks like it might be a fun site to poke around in general. Molinillos are much more affordable, running from $5 to $20 depending on from whom it's ordered.
Google also produced a very interesting LiveJournal --kiad had a well-written entry on xocoatl posted just last summer. Quoted in part:
selenesue's 'friend' from The Secret Life Of... got into REAL Mexican chocolate, discussing the history from the Olmecs to the Maya and Aztecs and proceeding hence to Guelaguetza Restaurant in Los Angeles (11127 Palms Blvd., right near the 405). The ladies from there showed Jim how to make chocolatl (or xocoatl, cacahuaquchtl or cacaoatl, all spellings of the Nahuatl for "cacao water") the old-fashioned way. No electric grinders or blenders for this drinking chocolate!This would make a great demo sort of thing to do at an SCA event (although a little slow, probably, for a demo for mundanes).
First, the cacao beans are roasted in an open pan. Then I believed they're hulled at that point and put on the metate. This is a slightly curved manual grinding stone usually made from a lava rock. The mano more closely resembles a rolling pin than a pestle. The ladies ground the beans by using short strokes of the mano, using pretty much only one side of it and trying to keep the product in the middle of the metate. The stone itself was heated by coals during the whole procedure, which melts the cocoa butter in the beans and helps form the chocolate liquor. Berta, one of the assistant chocolate-makers, was giggling through most of the segment because Jim, the host, had to take his turn trying to grind and men just don't grind chocolate (and she laughed even harder when Jim tried dancing with her).
After a considerable amount of grinding, during which the cayenne and other spices were added to the beans, the chocolate was finally a paste. The paste was shaped into ring moulds and allowed to dry. To make the drink itself, a disk of chocolate is hydrated with hot water in a pitcher. Apparently the pre-Spanish 'Mexicans' used to mix and froth it by pouring from one jug to another, back and forth; modern Mexicans use a molinillo, which seems to be on a fast track to being a folk art item. This decorative mixing stick has a notched, sunburst-like disk at the bottom. Above that can be a few more disks or rings, culminating in a handle. The molinillo ('little mill') is set into the container and agitated by rubbing it between the palms, much like manual firestarting. This breaks up the chocolate disk and mixes in air at the same time.
One of the ingredients which can be added to one's chocolatl has some interesting significance:
Chocolate also played a part in the religious lives of the Aztecs, who gave the drink to human offerings, to bless the sacrifice. It is not clear whether they were influenced in this regard by the Maya, but it is known that the Maya sometimes added achiote, a dark red seasoning paste, to chocolate to produce a deep red color, which may indicate that the beverage was used as a substitute for the earlier blood sacrifices.Shortcuts nowadays including buying the chocolate disks pre-made, there's a couple of sources; grinding the corn or other ingredients in electrical appliances; frothing with a blender. I was curious about doing it from scratch, so went Googling.
Buying a metate y mano on-line (not an antique or an archeological piece, of course) runs at least $80, and that's before shipping a 50-lb. chunk of rock anywhere. Gourmetsleuth.com actually carries two styles, and looks like it might be a fun site to poke around in general. Molinillos are much more affordable, running from $5 to $20 depending on from whom it's ordered.
Google also produced a very interesting LiveJournal --
kiad had a well-written entry on xocoatl posted just last summer. Quoted in part:Xocolatl Recipe:
from a translation of "Physitian General for the Kingdome of Spaine", by Melchor de Lara, published by Antonio Colmenero in 1631 who attributes it to a Marchena physician and then adapted by me
Original:Of Cacaos, 700Mine:
of white Sugar, one pound and a halfe
Cinnamon, 2. ounces
of long red pepper, 14 (Chilparlagua)
of Cloves, halfe an ounce
Three Cods of the Logwood or Campeche tree;
or in steade of that, the weight of 2 Reals, or a shilling of Anniseeds (Vinacaxlidos)
as much of Agiote, as will give it the colour, which is about the quantity of a Hasellnut.
Some put in Almons, kernells of Nuts, and Orenge-flower-water.
The flower of Maiz2 Disks of Ibarra Chocolate (or Nestlé Abuelita)Method:
½ cup of food-grade Cocoa butter
¼ cup of honey (or to taste)
1-6 Serrano peppers (halved and seeds removed while wearing gloves)
¼ tbsp annatto (for colour)
¼ tsp cloves
¼ cup of cornmealIn a dry skillet on medium-high heat, toast the cornmeal until it is a pleasant brown, then soak in 1 cup of water overnight. In a blender, grind the soaked corn for a full minute to make a loose, smooth paste. Strain, then grind the remaining corn in the blender with an additional ½ cup of water. Strain. Discard the corn mush.
Boil 2 cups of water to boil, then add the peppers. Allow to boil until only only one cup remains. Remove the peppers, and set the liquid aside.
In a large saucepan, add the broken-up the disks of chocolate, the Cocoa Butter, and one cup of water on medium-high heat. Whisk continuously until the chocolate mixture has melted.
Slowly add in the corn mixture which will act as emulsifier.
When the corn and chocolate are combined, add the cloves, honey, and annatto.
Slowly add in small dribbles of the pepper-liquid, tasting the chocolate every few dribbles to test hotness.
Simmer entire mixture for 10 minutes, whisking constantly.
Take entire mixture into one of the pitchers and pass from one pitcher to the next to cool and create froth. Serve cold.
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Date: 2005-02-13 12:48 am (UTC)BTW, Master Huen aka Jim Matterer, who put them in contact with me in the first place, will be shooting another THE SECRET LIFE OF... episode soon. The subject is Birthday Cake, to be shot in the same country inn location as his segment on Trencers that appeared in the Sandwiches episode. We are very happy for him!
-=-=-
Colmenero's 'redaction' of the Marchena original substitutes aniseed plus achiote for logwood. Does logwood have a liquorice flavor at all? It can't be for color, sniseed won't give you a red or much of any coloring at all really.
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Right scholarly write-up. The only implement I think you missed with the chocolate pitcher, which if you will observe has a longish, narrowish neck, just broad enough for a molinillo, then widens into a spherical body below. Helps prevent splashback of the chocolate which stains your clothes in any century. [smile]
I think I'm going to drag Jared out on a chocolate hunt after I get offline this afternoon. [BIG smile]!
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Date: 2005-02-13 01:13 am (UTC)Ah, now, nobody talked about the pitchers much, so I didn't observe that functionality. But wouldn't it be neat to set up chocolate-making at an event?
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Date: 2005-02-14 12:12 pm (UTC)http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=jeregenest&keyword=Chocolate&filter=all
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Date: 2005-02-13 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-13 11:04 am (UTC)Mmmm...chocolate.
Date: 2005-02-14 12:12 am (UTC)Most of the Filipino hot chocolate I remember drinking while on vacation in the province/countryside. According to this article, here it was traditionally made in a batirol, which sounds like a molinillo that comes with its own mixing bowl/container. (There's a photo in the link.)
Hot chocolate was featured in Jose Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere. The friar who was talking about it in the story said he would instruct his servants to prepare "chocolate eh" (the thick, rich chocolate) for his more affluent guests, and "chocolate ah" (thin, watered-down chocolate) for the poorer ones.
Just sharin' :)
Re: Mmmm...chocolate.
Date: 2005-02-14 05:06 am (UTC)Love those names - 'eh' and 'ah'.
How far is that restaurant, 'Choco-lat de Batirol', from you? It's apparently at Camp John Hay... whatever that is, in Baguio City. [skritch?]
Re: Mmmm...chocolate.
Date: 2005-02-14 05:31 am (UTC)CampClub John Hay (it stopped being a camp when the US pulled out of their military bases here) and Baguio City are in the northern region of Luzon island, while Rizal and Metro Manila are closer to the southern portion. I think Baguio City is a 6-hour drive from here.Forgot to add...
Date: 2005-02-14 05:34 am (UTC)Re: Forgot to add...
Date: 2005-02-14 12:13 pm (UTC)More chocolate!
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=jeregenest&keyword=Chocolate&filter=all
Batirol!
Date: 2005-02-24 01:33 am (UTC)Anyway, according to them, the instrument inside the batirol pitcher is like a molinillo with the ridge-y part at the end. "Looks more like a microphone," someone said :D
Re: Batirol!
Date: 2005-02-24 03:28 am (UTC)