Chilate: what it is and how to make the cacao drink

What is it?

Chilate is a traditional cold Mexican drink made with toasted cacao, raw rice, a cinnamon stick and piloncillo or sugar, all finely ground with water until a creamy and frothy texture is achieved at serving. It is native to the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca, a region inhabited by Afro-Mexican, indigenous and mestizo communities. It has a deep flavour of toasted cacao, with a slightly grainy background of rice and a warm sweetness from piloncillo and cinnamon. It is both a ceremonial and an everyday drink: it is served at patron-saint festivals, weddings, wakes and as a refreshing drink in warm climates. Its frothy character, a pre-Hispanic legacy of the techniques of whisking cacao, distinguishes it from other cold Mexican cacao drinks. It differs from Oaxacan tejate in not including cacao flower or rosita de cacao in its traditional recipe.

Origin and history

Chilate has a pre-Hispanic origin documented among the Amuzgo, Mixtec and Nahua peoples of the southern Mexican Pacific coast. Its name comes from the Nahuatl 'chilatl' meaning 'chilli water', although the current recipe does not include chilli. Some researchers propose that the word derives from 'chili-atl' referring to an original spicy drink, or that it is a contraction of 'chocolate-atl'. After the arrival of African communities to the region during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, brought as enslaved labour for the coastal haciendas, chilate was enriched with Afro-Mexican culinary knowledge. Larousse Cocina identifies it as a characteristic drink of the Costa Chica region. The modern recipe reflects syncretism: the pre-Hispanic Mexican cacao and cinnamon, the rice introduced by the Spanish from Asia, the piloncillo derived from African sugar cane. The technique of frothing by whisking vigorously recalls the pre-Hispanic chocolate documented by Sahagún in the sixteenth century.

Characteristic ingredients

Toasted cacao is the essential ingredient; criollo or trinitario cacao from the regions of Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca is preferred, slowly toasted on a comal to release aromas. The rice is added raw after being soaked for several hours, which allows it to be ground finely and lends a thick creaminess to the drink. The cinnamon stick is ground together with the cacao and rice to integrate its aroma. Grated piloncillo is the traditional sweetener, although brown sugar can also be used. Some recipes add almonds, star anise or allspice. Traditionally everything is ground on a stone metate several times until a very fine paste is obtained; modern mills perform the function more quickly. The paste is diluted with cold water and whisked vigorously with a molinillo or blender until plenty of froth forms. It is served in traditional jícaras or tall glasses, with the froth visible on top. The typical proportion is one hundred and fifty grams of cacao, fifty grams of soaked raw rice, a cinnamon stick and piloncillo to taste per two litres of water.

Cultural significance

Chilate is an identity drink of the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca, a region of deep Afro-Mexican, indigenous and mestizo heritage. It is indispensable at patron-saint festivals, weddings, baptisms, wakes and the Day of the Dead rituals. In municipalities such as Cuajinicuilapa, Ometepec, Pinotepa Nacional and Jamiltepec it keeps a ritual role in community celebrations. The Secretariat of Culture, through the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, has recognised chilate as part of the gastronomic heritage of the Afro-Mexican communities, recently recognised constitutionally in 2019 as the third cultural root of Mexico alongside the indigenous and the Spanish. Traditional Mexican cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, includes chilate among the representative drinks of southern Mexico. The preparation of chilate sustains the economy of Afro-Mexican women's cooperatives, especially in Cuajinicuilapa, where its sale at fairs and festivals has contributed to making the Afro-mestizo culinary culture of the Mexican Pacific more visible.

Frequently asked questions