Spanish Hot Chocolate
In Fearful Breakers, José learns to prepare the hot chocolate that Señor Morejón serves his customers.
Cacao is native to the Americas. The Aztecs ground the cacao nibs into powder and made a bitter, spicy drink consumed hot by members of the elite. The Spanish acquired a taste for it, added sugar, and brought it to Europe. By the 18th century, it was enjoyed like coffee, at breakfast, social occasions, and at coffee houses. Biscuits or bread were often dipped into the thick, frothy liquid. Special coffee sets were sold to prepare and serve it, like the set Tío Domingo brings back from Curacao. That colony was just off the coast of Venezuela, a source of smuggled cacao for the Dutch.
The Spanish used a wide variety of flavorings for their chocolate. Along with common ingredients like cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, they added hot pepper or achiote. A few recipes called for rose water or orange flower water, or even musk or ambergris. You may like to experiment with unusual flavors, but I would draw the line at musk.
Directions
In a small saucepan, mix together all the ingredients but the water. Add the water and sistr, then bring it all to a boil. Whisk together thoroughly to create a foam.
Off the heat, you may add a touch of vanilla or orange flower water.
Notes
It’s tricky deciding how authentic one wishes to be. José might have ground the cocoa nibs himself. One could also buy squares of premade chocolate and spice that just needed to be ground up to prepare a suitable beverage. One can buy such bars for making Mexican hot chocolate today.
This recipe makes a mildly sweet, chocolaty drink that is far from the drink enjoyed after a long day out in the snow. You can experiment with different spice combinations or add more sugar. The annatto (achiote) gives it an earthy flavor but can easily be omitted. You might also wish to add milk – some Spanish did – but that brings this closer to conventional hot chocolate. I went without, since José did not have a milk cow on the Alejandro. Perhaps have some lady’s fingers handy to dip in the chocolate – I tried bread and it was quite nice.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon annatto
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches ground ginger
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup water
Optional:
1/8 teaspoon vanilla OR
1/8 teaspoon orange flower water
