SERVES 4
When sixteenth-century Spanish conquistadors arrived in modern-day Mexico, report Rosa Tovar and Monique Fuller in 3,000 años de cocina española (3,000 Years of Spanish Cooking), they found Mayans drinking chocolate “with hot chile pepper, ground corn, or certain flowers.” Sent back to Spain, sweetened with honey or sugar, chocolate swiftly became popular. According to Tovar and Fuller, “The Spanish immediately perfumed the already sweet chocolate with vanilla, also from the Americas, and spices imported to Europe, such as cinnamon, cloves, coriander, or black pepper.” While Spain has become more conservative in its spicing over the centuries, drinking chocolate—generally now only lightly flavored with vanilla or cinnamon—remains roundly popular at festivals, in bars and cafés, and in homes.
I have adapted Tovar and Fuller’s recipe, which I particularly like because it adheres to the more original sense of the drink—thick, dark, a touch bitter, with a lingering taste of cinnamon in the back of the throat. It is a bold drink for chocolate lovers. To smooth or soften the flavor, use milk, or at least some milk, instead of water.
While I call it “drinking” chocolate, “dipping” chocolate is probably more accurate for its consistency. As goes a typical saying that my wife likes to repeat, “Las cosas claras y la chocolate espeso.” (That is, “Things [as in ideas] should be clear and chocolate thick.”) Serve it with spoons and a piece of spongy cake like bizcocho (see page 279), a magdalena muffin (see page 282), or, even better, hot churros.
1. In a saucepan, bring 1¾ cups/420 ml water to a boil with the cinnamon stick and boil for about 2 minutes to perfume the water. Remove the cinnamon stick. Add the chocolate and stir to dissolve.
2. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water and stir into the chocolate. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring without stopping until it thickens and dribbles, more than runs, off the spoon, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the sugar. Taste for sweetness, and add more sugar if desired.
3. Serve immediately in low, wide tea or coffee cups (not mugs).
