Mexican Chocolate:

Mexican chocolate is made from granulated sugar, cinnamon, and coarsely ground cacao. The mixture can also include chiles, nuts, and spices for a rich, potent flavor. In addition to having more components, Mexican chocolate has a rougher texture than most other types of chocolate. Learn about the history of creating Mexican chocolate, how to use it in dishes, and other details.

What is Mexican Chocolate?

In reality, it appears that the Aztecs made chocolate in a manner that is similar to how Mexicans produce it now. The art of manufacturing chocolate dates back to Mesoamerica around 1900 BCE. Usually, the cacao beans roaste, skinned, and ground into a paste either using a molino, a mill, or with a metate, a traditional hand instrument for hand-grinding materials.

 Despite this, regional variations in chocolate production do exist in Mexico and have developed over time. In truth, according to Germán Santillán of Oaxacanita Chocolate, some parts of Oaxaca, Mexico, leave the cacao bean’s shell on, giving the finished product a more bitter flavor. Mexican chocolate frequently contains chile kinds like guajillo, pasilla, and habanero, which are typically finely powdered and blended in. Mexico is the country where chilies originated. 

Soup with Tuscan Ribollita

The Spanish brought various foodstuffs, such as nuts and spices, with them when they landed. This is the origin of the custom of putting cardamom and almonds in Mexican chocolate.The chocolate is next molded into its final form, which is typically a disc or log. Given that Mexican chocolate is still made by hand in many regions, this simple presentation is ideal.

Varieties:

Mexican chocolate is frequently marked with the quantity of sugar it contains rather than the words “milk” or “dark.” As previously stated, variations flavoured with spices, chilies, and nuts are common; however, as the craft of chocolate production evolves, many confectioners are choosing to use unusual, out-of-the-ordinary ingredients such as lavender and popped amaranth.

Uses for Mexican chocolate:

Mexican chocolate is widely used in dishes like mole negro, chocolate atole, and hot chocolate. Traditionally, Mexicans use a molinillo, a device, to whip their hot chocolate into a froth. Also said to contribute to the texture of Mexican hot chocolate are the almonds. Intriguingly, this presentation may be a throwback to the time of the Aztecs, who are shown in anthropological evidence to have sipped on a fizzy, chocolaty beverage.

What Flavor Does It Have?

Mexican chocolate should have a robust flavor and feel rustic. Its flavor results from the cacao beans  and ground into a liquor, as opposed to many European-style chocolates that go one step further by aerating the chocolate liquor and mellowing out its flavor using a conching machine. 

Recipes for Mexican chocolate:

Mexican chocolate  consume on its own. Keep in mind that it already contains sugar, so you might want to refrain from adding more, depending on your preferences.

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN WINGS GRILLED

Where to Purchase :

Mexican grocers will undoubtedly stock it if you’re looking for options in-store, but Mexican chocolate is also readily available online. Nevertheless, the chocolate industry has experienced its fair share of corruption. With farmers receiving pitiful payments and local ecologies  devastate for the sake of cacao farming. 

Look for brands that directly pay the farmers and care for the health of the soil if you want to stop this.

Storage:

Avoid putting it in the fridge since it could pick up flavors from the food around it and create the iconic sugar bloom, which is when sugar rises to the surface as a result of moisture condensation. Mexican chocolate should remain fresh in storage for six to twelve months.

Source:thespruceeats