Tejate: the pre-Hispanic drink of the gods in Oaxaca

What is it?

Tejate is a cold ceremonial drink originating from the state of Oaxaca, considered by Mixtec-Zapotec culture to be 'the drink of the gods'. It is prepared with cooked maize (nixtamal), toasted cacao, dried cacao flower (cacahoaxóchitl), toasted mamey stone (pixtle) and rosita de cacao (rosita or flor), all ground on a metate to obtain a very fine paste that is diluted with water. The most distinctive feature of tejate is its layer of dense, hard white foam that floats on the surface of the jug, formed by whisking it with the hands, a technical legacy directly inherited from pre-Hispanic cacao documented by Sahagún. It is served cold in painted gourd jícaras with traditional motifs. It is an indispensable ritual drink at festivities, weddings, wakes and agricultural rituals in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, especially in San Andrés Huayápam, San Felipe Tejalápam and the city of Oaxaca.

Origin and history

Tejate is one of the pre-Hispanic drinks that has best preserved its original recipe to the 21st century. Its origin goes back to the Mixtec and Zapotec cultures of Oaxaca, with documented presence since the Mesoamerican Classic period (250-900 AD). The name comes from the Nahuatl 'texatl', which means 'floured water', referring to the texture. Sahagún, in the 16th-century Florentine Codex, describes similar drinks prepared with frothed cacao among the peoples of the central highlands, but Oaxacan tejate retains unique characteristics: the incorporation of cacao flower, pixtle and rosita are specific to the Mixtec-Zapotec tradition. Larousse Cocina identifies it as one of the most representative drinks of Oaxaca and of Mexico's living pre-Hispanic heritage. San Andrés Huayápam, a small village of the Central Valleys, is considered the capital of tejate: each year on the last Monday of July the Tejate Fair is celebrated, where dozens of tejateras compete for the best product. The tejateras, Mixtec and Zapotec women, have transmitted the recipe orally for generations, preserving a culinary continuity of more than a thousand years.

Characteristic ingredients

Tejate requires specific ingredients not easy to obtain outside Oaxaca: white nixtamalised maize (cooked with lime according to pre-Hispanic tradition), toasted criollo cacao, dried cacao flower (cacahoaxóchitl, Quararibea funebris), pixtle (toasted and ground mamey stone, Pouteria sapota) and rosita de cacao (Quararibea cordata or variants). Some tejateras add cinnamon and modern sugar, although purists prefer the original recipe without sugar. The preparation is laborious: all the solids are ground several times on a hot metate until an extremely fine paste is achieved. The resulting paste is diluted with cold water in a large jícara and vigorously whisked with the hands, rubbing against the clay bottom until the characteristic white foam forms and rises to the surface. This foam is 'the flower of tejate' and must remain floating on serving. A single tejatera takes up to six hours to prepare a complete batch. The resulting product has a flavour of toasted cacao, nixtamalised maize, flowers and exotic woods, with a solid floating foam texture impossible to replicate industrially. It is served cold with a little extra foam on top in each jícara.

Cultural significance

Tejate is one of the most sacred drinks of Mexico's living culinary heritage. Traditional Mexican cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, identifies tejate among the most representative preparations of the state of Oaxaca, considered the epicentre of this declaration. In San Andrés Huayápam, the Tejate Fair every last Monday of July (part of the Guelaguetza festivities) brings together dozens of traditional tejateras in competition and exhibition. The tejateras, almost exclusively Mixtec and Zapotec indigenous women, are guardians of an ancestral knowledge transmitted orally for more than a thousand years. Their trade sustains family and community economies in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. Tejate also takes part in weddings, christenings, wakes and agricultural rituals such as Day of the Dead celebrations and patron-saint festivities. Specific ingredients such as pixtle and rosita de cacao are harvested artisanally, generating sustainable agroforestry economy in peasant communities. Recent efforts by the Government of Oaxaca and INAH have documented tejate as intangible cultural heritage of the state.

Frequently asked questions

What does tejate taste like?

It tastes of toasted cacao with nixtamalised maize, with soft floral notes of cacao flower and rosita, and a slightly woody background of pixtle. The texture is dense, slightly grainy, with a solid floating foam of neutral flavour. It is not sweet in its traditional version, although some modern tejateras add sugar. It is distantly reminiscent of bitter pre-Hispanic chocolate but with a unique floral complexity.

What is the flower of tejate?

It is the layer of dense, hard white foam that floats on the surface of the jug or jícara when served. It forms by vigorously whisking the paste with the hands against the bottom of the jícara. It is the mark of quality of tejate: the more foam there is and the firmer it is, the better prepared it is considered. This frothing technique has pre-Hispanic origins, documented by Sahagún for the chocolate of the Mexica in the 16th century.

Where does tejate originate from?

It originates from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, with Mixtec-Zapotec pre-Hispanic roots documented since the Mesoamerican Classic period. San Andrés Huayápam, a small village near the city of Oaxaca, is considered the traditional capital of tejate. It is also prepared in San Felipe Tejalápam, San Antonino Castillo Velasco and the city of Oaxaca itself. Its name comes from the Nahuatl texatl, 'floured water'.

What is pixtle?

The pixtle is the stone or seed of the mamey fruit (Pouteria sapota), slowly toasted and ground until an intensely aromatic powder is obtained. It is an irreplaceable ingredient of authentic tejate: it provides a characteristic woody, slightly bitter flavour and emulsifying properties that help form the foam. Outside Oaxaca it is very difficult to obtain, so authentic tejate can only be prepared in places with access to traditional regional ingredients.