Chocolat Guerin-Boutron ad, circa 1775, Paris, France. Guerin-Boutron was a family-owned luxury chocolate company in Paris, located at 23 and 25 Rue du Maroc in the 19th arrondissement. The House Guerin Boutron is famous for its chocolate vanilla and Solubia chocolate, according to Wikipedia FR.
Today, we’re virtually traveling to the chocolate origin of Mexico. Chocolate beans from Mexico are generally known to taste more “earthy” and “savory.”
How can you experience the culture of Mexican chocolate during quarantine at home, today? Try making “Mexican drinking chocolate,” — melted chocolate spiced with cinnamon and/or chile, plus vanilla and some heavy cream or milk (see recipes below). The key with Mexican drinking chocolate is to use melted chocolate that’s 70% or above, and not to use cocoa powder, which would be what we know and love as “hot cocoa.”
First, let’s take a look at some vintage travel posters from Pan American and Braniff Airways and the Mexican tourism office:
Now, here’s a Mexican drinking chocolate recipe to start your culinary journey, and we also suggest this page and viewing the videos below. If you’re more adventurous and like to improvise, simply melt some craft chocolate that you currently have at home (dark and preferably from Mexico and/or stone ground) with some milk or heavy cream, and add cinnamon sticks. Enjoy! Sip and savor the moment.
Below, you can watch either short recipe videos (recipes for Mexican drinking chocolate, “champurrado,”) or a lengthier travel feature about chocolate in Mexico:
If you have 30 minutes, we also found this fun travel video, “Mexican Chocolate.”
Have you tasted chocolate from Mexico? Which brand is your favorite? Comment below!
Wishing you a beautiful “origin journey” today. Stay safe.
