Mazapán Atole

History & Origin

Mazapán atole is a relatively modern creation born from the fusion of two pillars of popular Mexican gastronomy: atole, a pre-Hispanic corn drink with over three thousand years of history, and peanut mazapán, a traditional Mexican sweet sold in markets and corner shops across the country. Whilst atole has deeply pre-Hispanic roots - the Aztecs called it "atolli" and consumed it as a nutritious and ceremonial food - Mexican peanut mazapán evolved from the European almond marzipan that arrived with the Spanish colonisers. Mexicans substituted peanuts, a crop native to the Americas, for almonds, creating an entirely new sweet. The combination of both in a drink emerged in Mexican home kitchens, probably during the second half of the 20th century, when homemakers experimented with adding crumbled mazapán to hot atole, discovering it dissolved perfectly and gave an extraordinary creaminess and peanut flavour. Today mazapán atole is one of the most popular atole variants at street stalls and cafes during the cold season, from October to February.