Cacahuatl

ID:32392
 
Jul 8 2007, 1:48 pm
Cacahuatl is the Aztec drink from where it is said we get modern chocolate. This, while not an outright lie, misrepresents cacahuatl as something you might actually want to drink. You don't. The drink is actually more akin to a thin molé sauce than hot chocolate. Only less drinkable.
The Aztecs said drinking cacahuatl gives you strength. This is probably a mistranslation of some sort--what they really meant was it takes considerable strength just to choke it down.

Recipe:

  1. Gather together your closest friends and family and hope they talk you out of this. Abandon hope all ye who continue.
  2. Into a small saucepan waste the following ingredients that you could be using to make something else:
    • 16 ounces of water
    • 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
    • 1 stick of cinnamon, broken in half
    • 2 dried hot chilies, crushed
  3. Bring to a boil. It will start to give off a pungent aroma, something akin to chocolate cake mixed with the smell of death. If you've done it correctly, it burns as you breath it in.
  4. Once it bubbles up, remove from heat. Allow to cool then return to heat. Repeat three times. This is supposed to improve the flavor, meaning it's actually worse if you don't. Fear that this could be true ensures that I stick to this tradition.
  5. Decant into a mug (pour; leaving the solid stuff behind). Allow to cool completely before serving. Turn back now while there's still time.
If you've come this far, you might as well drink the stuff. Truth be told, it's really not that bad, if you have an appreciation for bitter flavors. If you're the sort of person that can't drink coffee without sugar, this isn't for you--it's even more bitter than coffee. The spiciness is also off-putting... there really aren't many spicy beverages in our culture to prepare you for this.
So, despite my warning to the contrary, this is actually worth trying if you have any sense of culinary adventurousness. It's not going to be something I drink frequently, but it may be something I make again--even if it is only to serve to the unsuspecting.
Jul 8 2007, 1:51 pm
Oh damn. Sounds like something interesting to drink.

The peppers were probably what sprung the flavor ;)
Jul 8 2007, 1:58 pm
My friends got hold of this super strong chocolate the other day.
It was like eating the concept of bitter itself.
Jul 8 2007, 2:21 pm
This post is win. Sort of reminds me of that one rice drink.
Jul 8 2007, 2:55 pm
@Rugg: The peppers were surprisingly mild. It smells spicy but when you actually drink it the bitterness overpowers and there's very little burn.

@Elation: Try taking a swig from a bottle of chocolate extract. The ingredients are like chocolate and alcohol so I did that once in my youth, thinking it might be tasty. It is the very essence of bitter and the very opposite of tasty.

@SpeyMan: If you're thinking of horchata, cacahuatl is nothing similar. Horchata is tasty and delicious.
Jul 8 2007, 3:05 pm
The aztecs used to trade caocao leaves as a currency oddly enough...There's some random facts for you.
Jul 8 2007, 4:13 pm
"Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt. It is said to be from this that we get the word soldier - 'sal dare', meaning to give salt. From the same source we get the word salary, 'salarium'."

http://www.saltinfo.com/salt%20history2.htm
Jul 8 2007, 5:46 pm
It tastes like hell, and burns worse than vodka going down. Not something that I would drink to get me up in the morning....wait, I would, but only if I;m dead in the morning
Jul 9 2007, 7:33 am
Oh, ffs. This is a nasty drink. I advise all you who do it, to have a nice chaser =D
Jul 9 2007, 4:22 pm
Hey, it's not like I didn't warn you. You knew what you were getting into.
Nov 18 2008, 8:40 am
I'll just say this, its an "Aztec" drink.