DrinksMedium

Tejate (Oaxacan Cacao and Corn Drink)

Name: Tejate (Oaxacan Cacao and Corn Drink)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 80 g Cacao tostado; 200 g Maiz blanco; 2 Hueso de mamey; 100 g Azucar; 2000 ml Water fría; 1 Cinnamon stick (opcional); 30 g Rosita de cacao (flor de cacao)

50 min (30 prep + 20 cook) Medium 6 servings Oaxaca

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 20 Mar 2026 · Updated: 23 Mar 2026

Pre-Hispanic Oaxacan drink made from toasted corn, cacao, mamey seed and cacao flower.

About this recipe

Tejate is an ancestral Oaxacan drink of Zapotec origin, made from toasted corn, cacao, mamey seed and cacao flower (rosita de cacao). It is served cold in a gourd with a characteristic white foam on the surface. Refreshing, nutritious and with a unique flavour unlike any other drink. It is considered the drink of the gods in Zapotec tradition.

History & Origin

Tejate is one of the oldest drinks in Mesoamerica, with a history stretching back at least two thousand years in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. Its name comes from the Nahuatl texatl, meaning masa water, although its preparation is infinitely more complex than that simple translation suggests. The Zapotecs considered tejate the drink of the gods and offered it at religious ceremonies and festivities. What makes tejate unique is the combination of four fundamental ingredients that together create a flavour impossible to replicate: toasted corn provides the starchy base, cacao gives deep flavour, mamey seed contributes an aromatic oil, and rosita de cacao (the flower of the cacao-related tree Quararibea funebris) provides the natural foaming agent that creates the iconic layer of white foam crowning the drink. Traditional preparation is done on a metate, where the ingredients are ground for hours until a fine paste is obtained which is then dissolved in cold water and vigorously beaten by hand to generate the foam. In the Etla market and the markets of Oaxaca, the tejateras, women who have inherited the craft through generations, prepare and serve tejate in large clay pots, dispensing it into gourds with an expert gesture ensuring each portion carries its crown of foam.

Estimated cost

£7.00

Total cost

£1.17

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

150

Calories

Protein

22g

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

25mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Toast the maiz in a comal (flat griddle) dry over medium heat, stirring constantly, until this slightly golden and aromatico. Set aside.
💡 No it tuestes demasiado or amargara the bebida.
2
Toast the cacao in the comal (flat griddle) until the cascara desprenda facilmente. Peel the granos of cacao. Toast the bone of mamey until the cascara agriete.
💡 El bone of mamey es very duro; necesitaras a martillo for abrirlo.
3
Toast the rosita of cacao brevemente in the comal (flat griddle) until this fragante, some 2-3 minutes. No the quemes.
💡 La rosita of cacao es the ingrediente that genera the espuma caracteristica.
4
Grind all the ingredientes toasted in metate or food processor until you get a paste thin and homogenea.
💡 If using procesador, anade a little water for facilitar the molido.
5
Dissolve the pasta in the cold water, anade the azucar and beat vigorosamente with your hands or a batidor for varios minutes until it forme a espuma white in the surface.
💡 La espuma es esencial; sigue beating until it forme a layer thick.
6
Serve cold in jicaras or vasos, asegurandote of that each porcion lleve a buena cantidad of espuma white encima.
💡 No should calentar nunca; the tejate always serve cold.