Mexican table chocolate: what it is, types and how to make it

What is it?

Mexican table chocolate is an artisanal tablet made with toasted and ground cacao, sugar and ground cinnamon, pressed into round discs or hexagonal tablets. It is used mainly dissolved in hot water or milk to prepare the traditional Mexican drink, and is also the base of moles, atoles and desserts. It is distinguished from European chocolate by its characteristic grainy texture, its intense aromatic profile of toasted cacao and the obligatory presence of cinnamon. Although it has been produced industrially since the twentieth century by well-known brands such as Abuelita, Ibarra and Mayordomo, it preserves a strong artisanal tradition in Oaxaca, Tabasco and Chiapas, the main cacao-producing states in Mexico. It is one of the most recognised identity products of Mexican cooking and forms part of the country's ancestral gastronomic heritage.

Origin and history

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is native to the Amazon basin, but it was domesticated for the first time in Mesoamerica more than four thousand years ago. The Olmecs, Maya, Mexica and Mixtecs consumed it as a ceremonial drink called xocolatl, mixed with water, chilli, maguey honey and flowers. Sahagún, in the sixteenth-century Florentine Codex, describes the preparation of pre-Hispanic chocolate. After the conquest, the Spanish took cacao to Europe where it was transformed into sweet chocolate with sugar and milk; in Mexico the tablet format with cinnamon remained as a syncretic expression. Cinnamon, introduced by the Spanish from Asia via the Manila trade route, was quickly integrated into Mexican chocolate during the seventeenth century. Larousse Cocina identifies Mexican table chocolate as one of the country's emblematic products. Oaxaca preserves the most living tradition of artisanal metate chocolate, while Tabasco and Chiapas are the main producers of cacao beans. Modern industrialisation began in 1939 with the founding of Nestlé Abuelita in Cuernavaca.

Characteristic ingredients

Cacao is the essential ingredient: the criollo and trinitario varieties of Tabasco and Chiapas are the most prized, slowly toasted on a comal until they release their aromas, dehusked and ground on a hot metate. Refined or brown sugar provides sweetness; the usual proportion is 50-60 per cent cacao and 40-50 per cent sugar. Ground cinnamon (between 2 and 5 per cent of the total) is an obligatory ingredient that defines the Mexican character. Some premium tablets incorporate vanilla, almonds, hazelnuts or chilli powder. The characteristic grainy texture comes from the artisanal grinding on a metate, which does not over-process the cacao as European industrial machines do. The most recognised brands are: Abuelita (Nestlé México), Ibarra (Chocolatera de Jalisco), Mayordomo (Oaxaca), Don Pepe (Tabasco) and La Soledad (Oaxaca). Oaxacan metate chocolate, made in front of the customer in the markets of Tlacolula and central Oaxaca, allows the mixture to be customised. To prepare the drink, a tablet is dissolved in half a litre of hot milk or water and whisked with a molinillo until frothy.

Cultural significance

Table chocolate is one of the most identity-defining culinary products of Mexico, a symbol of the pre-Hispanic heritage recovered and resignified during the colonial era. Traditional Mexican cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, recognises cacao and chocolate as a fundamental part of its gastronomic identity. The tablets are consumed throughout the year but reach maximum visibility during the December festivities, posadas and Day of the Dead celebrations, when champurrados and atoles are prepared. In Oaxaca, the metate chocolate shops are a major tourist attraction: visiting Mayordomo, La Soledad or Guelaguetza in the historic centre is an essential ritual for any traveller. The Mexican cacao industry, concentrated in Tabasco (70 per cent of national production) and Chiapas (30 per cent), sustains more than forty thousand producers according to SADER data. Although Mexico produces barely one per cent of the world's cacao, its per capita consumption and the cultural value of table chocolate are enormous. Cooperatives of Oaxacan women have gained international recognition with premium chocolates.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between table chocolate and European chocolate?

Mexican table chocolate contains ground cinnamon obligatorily, has a grainy texture from the grinding on a metate and is designed to dissolve in a hot drink. European chocolate (Swiss, Belgian, French) tends to be smooth owing to mechanical conching, contains no cinnamon and is consumed solid. The Mexican one has a more rustic and aromatic profile; the European one, more uniform and sweet.

Where does cacao come from?

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is native to the Amazon basin, but it was domesticated first in Mesoamerica more than four thousand years ago. The Olmecs, Maya and Mexica consumed it as a sacred drink called xocolatl. Today it is cultivated in tropical climates throughout the world, with the Ivory Coast as the leading world producer. Mexico produces 1 per cent of the world's cacao, mainly in Tabasco and Chiapas.

Which brands of table chocolate are the best known?

The most recognised industrial brands are Chocolate Abuelita (Nestlé México, founded in 1939), Chocolate Ibarra (Chocolatera de Jalisco), Mayordomo (Oaxaca) and Don Pepe (Tabasco). The most notable artisanal metate ones are concentrated in Oaxaca: La Soledad, Guelaguetza and many small chocolate shops in traditional markets. Each brand has a distinctive proportion of cacao, sugar and cinnamon.

How is the traditional drink prepared?

A tablet (around 80-100 grams) is dissolved in half a litre of hot milk or water over a low heat, stirring constantly. When dissolved it is whisked vigorously with a wooden molinillo, rolling it between the palms to create the characteristic froth inherited from pre-Hispanic chocolate. It is served very hot in a clay jug, accompanied by sweet bread, tamales or Mexican biscuits.