Hot Chocolate
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Dark chocolate, chopped — 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Milk — 1 L (4 1/4 cups)
- Sugar — 3 tbsp
- Cinnamon stick — 1
- Chile powder (optional) — a pinch
Method
- Warm the milk gently in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick.
- Once hot but not boiling, remove the cinnamon stick and add the chopped chocolate.
- Whisk until fully melted and smooth.
- Stir in the sugar and chile powder if using.
- Whisk vigorously, or froth with a molinillo, until foamy, and serve hot.
Introduction: Rich drinking chocolate spiced with cinnamon, adapted from Mesoamerican tradition with the addition of sugar following European contact.
Cultural Background: Chocolate, cultivated and consumed as a drink by Mesoamerican civilisations long before European contact, was adopted by Spanish colonisers who added sugar and cinnamon, transforming it into the sweetened drink that became fashionable across the colonial world and eventually Europe.
Tips: Whisking vigorously just before serving gives the traditional frothy top.
Variations: A pinch of chile powder honours the original Mesoamerican preparation, which was typically unsweetened and spiced rather than sugared.
Nutrition: Approx. 280 kcal per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Was chocolate originally sweetened?
A: No — pre-Columbian preparations were typically unsweetened and often spiced with chile; the addition of sugar and cinnamon developed after Spanish colonisation.
Q: What is a molinillo?
A: A traditional carved wooden whisk, twirled between the palms, used to froth hot chocolate — a technique still practised in parts of Latin America today.
- Dark chocolate, chopped — 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Milk — 1 L (4 1/4 cups)
- Sugar — 3 tbsp
- Cinnamon stick — 1
- Chile powder (optional) — a pinch
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