Popo: what it is and how the frothy Veracruz drink is made

What is it?

Popo is a traditional cold, frothy drink originating in the Sierra de Sotavento, a mountainous region shared by southern Veracruz and northern Oaxaca. It is made with toasted, ground cacao, cooked white maize, chupipi vine root (Gouania lupuloides) and sugar, all finely ground and whisked with cold water to create a characteristic dense white foam that covers the whole surface of the jug. The chupipi vine is the secret element that distinguishes popo from other Mesoamerican frothy drinks such as tejate or chilate: it contains natural saponins that generate an especially firm and lasting foam. It is a ritual and festive drink of the Nahua, Popoluca and Mixtec-Zapotec communities of the region. It is drunk mainly in municipalities such as Acayucan, San Andrés Tuxtla, Tuxtepec, Mecayapan and Soteapan, with a ritual presence at patron-saint festivals and Day of the Dead celebrations.

Origin and history

Popo is one of the least known but most sophisticated pre-Hispanic drinks of Mexico, with a documented presence since Olmec times in the Sierra de Sotavento region. Its name possibly comes from the Nahuatl 'popochtli', meaning 'hollow' or 'frothy'. The Popoluca communities (descendants of the Olmecs) and Nahuas of southern Veracruz have prepared it for centuries as a ritual and community drink. Larousse Cocina identifies it as a characteristic drink of the Sierra de Sotavento. The knowledge of the chupipi vine and its foaming capacity is one of the most interesting ethnobotanical contributions of the Mesoamerican peoples to the continental culinary repertoire. The harvesting and preparation of the vine requires specific traditional knowledge passed down orally; the vine is gathered from tropical forest, sun-dried and finely ground. The recipe for popo has remained almost unchanged since the pre-Hispanic era, surviving the Conquest thanks to its ritual and community character integrated into the region's syncretic religious celebrations.

Characteristic ingredients

Popo requires specific ingredients that are not easy to obtain: toasted criollo cacao from Tabasco or Chiapas, cooked white maize (not nixtamalised in this recipe), sugar and dried, ground chupipi vine (Gouania lupuloides, also called palo de tres costillas or jaboncillo). The vine is the irreplaceable ingredient: its natural saponins generate the characteristic foam when whisked vigorously. Some regional variants add cinnamon, vanilla or pepper. The preparation is laborious: all the solids are finely ground on a metate or mill until a uniform paste is obtained. The paste is dissolved with a little cold water and whisked vigorously by hand or with a special gourd vessel for several minutes, until abundant white foam forms and rises to the top. More cold water is then added to finish. It is served cold in gourd vessels or tall transparent glasses, leaving the crown of foam intact for visual appreciation. The typical proportion is one hundred and fifty grams of cacao, one hundred grams of cooked maize, one tablespoon of chupipi vine powder and sugar to taste per two litres of water. The flavour is creamy, bittersweet of cacao with notes of cooked maize and a soft vegetal undertone from the vine.

Cultural significance

Popo is one of the most distinctive and least known drinks of Mexico's living pre-Hispanic heritage. Traditional Mexican cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, identifies popo as a representative drink of the Veracruz and Oaxaca Sierra de Sotavento. It is indispensable at patron-saint festivals, the Day of the Dead, weddings and agricultural rituals of the Popoluca, Nahua and Mixtec-Zapotec communities of the municipalities of Acayucan, San Andrés Tuxtla, Soteapan, Mecayapan, Tatahuicapan and Tuxtepec. The preparation of popo sustains the family economies of indigenous women, known as 'popoteras', who make it for community festivities and regional markets. The botanical knowledge of the chupipi vine is an ethnobotanical heritage passed down orally for generations. Researchers from CIESAS and the Museum of Popular Cultures have documented popo as one of the most complex expressions of the Mesoamerican culinary legacy, showing remarkable technical sophistication. INAH and the Veracruz Institute of Culture have promoted documentation and dissemination projects to ensure the survival of the tradition as the generations that hold the knowledge grow older.

Frequently asked questions

What does popo taste like?

It tastes of toasted cacao with a creamy undertone of cooked maize and soft vegetal notes from the chupipi vine. It is slightly bitter and sweet at the same time owing to the sugar. The texture is unctuous with a dense floating foam of neutral flavour. It distantly recalls a rustic cold chocolate but with a unique vegetal complexity given by the vine. It is not an intense drink but a subtle, refined one, with the profile of an ancient ritual gastronomy.

What is the chupipi vine?

It is a tropical liana (Gouania lupuloides) that grows in the humid forests of the Sierra de Sotavento. Its dried stems contain natural saponins that generate abundant foam when whisked in water, a property similar to that of jaboncillo (soapberry). That is why it is sometimes called 'palo de tres costillas' or 'bejuco jaboncillo'. It is an irreplaceable ingredient of authentic popo; without it the drink does not develop the characteristic foam that defines it visually.

Where does popo come from?

It originates in the Sierra de Sotavento, a mountainous region between southern Veracruz and northern Oaxaca inhabited by Nahua, Popoluca (descendants of the Olmecs) and Mixtec-Zapotec communities. Municipalities such as Acayucan, San Andrés Tuxtla, Tuxtepec, Soteapan, Mecayapan and Tatahuicapan are traditional centres of its making. Its pre-Hispanic roots go back to the Olmec peoples, considered the mother culture of Mesoamerica.

What is the difference between popo, tejate and chilate?

All three are frothy cold pre-Hispanic cacao drinks, but they belong to distinct traditions: popo is from Veracruz-Oaxaca and uses the chupipi vine to froth; tejate is from Oaxaca and uses cacao flower and pixtle; chilate is from Guerrero and is Afro-Mexican, using rice and cinnamon. Each expresses the specific cultural identity of its region of origin, showing the wealth of Mesoamerican regional variants.