Are you visiting Mexico for the first time? If you are then you’re going to be introduced to a land of many beverages. Whether it’s pulque, tesquino, Atole. Pozol. Tejate or Sotol, Mexico’s got them all. But let’s just talk about this one Oaxacan drink, Tejate.
This drink is adored in Oaxaca because of its significance to Aztec royalty during the pre-Hispanic period. It is a great way to start learning the Oaxaca culture.
Tejate Drink Ingredients
- Toasted Corn
- Cocoa Rosita
- Agave (mamey) seeds
- Cacoa flowers
- Roasted maize flour
What is Tejate de Oaxaca?
Tejate represents Zapotec culture, a traditional cacao and corn-produced drink following the deep traditions and ancient Zapotec civilization. Tejate is made from toasted corn, pixtle, cacao flowers, and fermented cacao beans. The ingredients are grounded into a paste, mixed with water, and stirred using a hand to create a smooth mixture.
The drink is nutritious and frothy, drunk with ice cubes and some additional water. The tejateras in the Tlacolula market lift jicaras to head level. They then pour the tejate slowly into a vast clay bowl to retain the mixture.
What does Tejate taste like?
The pre-Hispanic drink is best served cold, with a frothy white foam layer floating on top. The ladies serving the drink refer to the foam as ‘the fat chocolate.’ What a fascinating ancient drink in Oaxaca that helps to promote the chocolate tradition! It tastes like chocolate but is chalky and may not be appealing to everyone, however.
This interesting drink tastes like lilac flowers, and cocoa, with a tepid Wendy’s Frosty texture. It is generally delicious and fresh. Atlantic.com believes that of all the cocoa beans consumed worldwide, Tejate is the most traditional. It represents a refreshing cocoa drink standard in San Andre’s Huayapam and provides a unique food experience in Oaxaca.
Where is Tejate from?
The drink is associated with Mesoamerica, the foam-topped cacao and maize beverage standard in the Zapotec region.
Zapotec is in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, where the drink was used for spiritual ceremonies and is a vital staple when people were involved in hard labor on the farms. The beverage is a source of energy, fats, Vitamin K, and methylxanthines. It’s also a source of protein equivalent to tortillas.
The nutritional and chemical value varies based on the Tejate recipes, with the main dietary benefit being maize.
Does Tejate have alcohol?
Tejate is a hispanic drink and non-alcoholic, made of maize and cacao, and drank by women using similar ingredients, dating back 3,000 years ago.
Tejate Drink Ingredients
| Ingredients | Amount |
| Dried White Corn | 250 grams |
| Roasted and peeled cacao beans | 25 grams |
| Mamey seeds | 2 toasted and smashed ones |
| Florecita de cacao | 20 grams lightly toasted |
| Ice Cubes | Add to taste |
| Sugar syrup | Add to preference |
How to Prepare Oaxaca Drinks
- The ingredients (roasted maize flour, cacao beans and flowers, and mamey seeds) are ground and mixed with cold water in substantial clay pots.
- Boil the dried corn using lime or ash to ensure it is nixtamalized
- Wash and make a masa
- Grind the cacao, mamey seeds, and florecita de cacao in Molino until it becomes a paste
- Then add the corn masa.
- After massaging the ingredients, add a specific amount of cold water. Add more if the mix is homogenous.
- Continue adding until the consistency is attained.
- Add ice and sugar syrup to your preference in the paste.
- The paste undergoes a hand or arm massage for a few hours by pouring cold water into the paste.
- Serve refreshingly cold in small clay bowls.
- Enjoy the delicious and refreshing beverage.
The women in Oaxaca mix and massage the dough early in the morning at different markets within Oaxaca. However, the drink is consumed from 11 am, serving as a snack before lunch.
Cocoa Roasting
Cocoa roasting is a unique process where the women preparing the drink do it diligently. After roasting the cocoa, it is taken to the metate for grinding. Underneath, a batea is placed to ensure all the brown paste is collected.
Corn Grinding
The cocoa paste is then placed in an apaxtle. Apaxtle is a colossal container molded from green clay collected at Santa Maria Atzompa. Water is added and beaten with hands for a few hours until a foam forms on top.
When the white foam covers the entire container, it indicates that the drink is ready. The best way to serve the tejate drink is using a jicara. A jicara is a half-circle-shaped container with the bark of trees known as a morro. Jicaras are brought from Guerrero.
The jicaras are white, but some vendors paint them red and decorate them with additional details to make them attractive. Since the jicara is a vessel, use a reed ring as a base for support.
How do you drink Tejate?
Preparing Tejate is a ritual. Also, consumption is a traditional process where the consumer cups both hands around the ornate jicara (gourd). The bowlful of white foam and bubbly drink slowly tilts towards the drinker’s lips.
The women serve you in a bowl; you must drink before the vendor and return it. While the main ingredients are cocoa and maize, every vendor has a different recipe, with some adding nuts instead of the mamey seed. At the same time, others use mamey seeds.
As a traveler, its interesting to try all the varieties before settling for the best. It also makes for an excellent reason to visit as friends and share drinks.
Benefits of Drinking the Tejate Drink
Tejate has a great and delicious taste. In addition, it provides calcium, iron, proteins, fiber, and carbohydrates. The drink also soothes various stomach ailments.
The tejate drink requires a lot of time and effort. It’s also noted that the women preparing it are exposed to smoke from the roasting of the ingredients. It may destroy their eyesight and lungs.
Also, the grinding process is too demanding, as the women spend over four hours kneeling. The metate is heavy, and they support it while on the floor. The beating is so much work using their hands for an hour.
The final product is, however, worth it, as the tejate produced is quality and delicious. It allows the Oaxaca people to preserve their heritage, prestigious gastronomic values, and traditions. In every street of Oaxaca, you have an opportunity to taste tejate.
Consider attending the Palm Sunday event celebrated during Easter week in San Andres de Huayapam, where the tejate fair is part of the celebration.
Where to purchase Tejate Drink in Oaxaca
Tejate drink costs between 20-25 Mexican pesos, making it affordable.
- La Cosecha
It is an organic market in Oaxaca, where Tejate drink is readily available in one of the stalls. The vendor will serve tejate in a painted gourd and will always add ice unless you request not to. Enjoy sunny weather by sitting on the benches as you enjoy the delicious traditional tejate drink during the day.
- Huayapam
The Centro area of Huayapam has many tourists flowing in. It is in San Andres Huayapam, where tejate drink originated, making it the best place to get it.
You could take a taxi, Colectivo, rented car, or a bus which takes about 20 minutes, to reach the beautiful mountains of Huayapam and enjoy the drink.
Some vendors sell traditional drinks from their homes. It is easy to spot this as they have a table with a colorful tablecloth, clay pot, and red-painted jicara bowls. If it’s during the afternoon, start by saying Buenos Tardes, and someone will show up to make a drink for you.
- Plaza de la Danza Festival
This festival takes place annually in Oaxaca city. It happens from the end of March to early April, when Huayapam women set up oaxaca drink stands making the indigenous drink to celebrate their culture and heritage.
- Vendors in other Markets
Almost every market in Oaxaca serves tejate drinks. Some markets include Central de Abastos, Las Flores, Mercado Hidalgo, and La Merced.
However, note that if you are a first-time visitor, beware of criminal cases such as pickpocketing. Take care of your property to avoid mugging.
Oaxaca is in an isolated area, and the residents resisted the invasion of the Spaniards, making it easy to practice and share their culture with those visiting.
In this way, Oaxacans have managed to maintain their rich culture, food, and drinks.
Next: Top 19 Fun and Unforgettable Things to Do in Oaxaca City
Hi I’m Shannon!
Hi, I’m Shannon and I’m a Canadian who fell in love with Mexico on my first trip to Puerto Vallarta when I was a young adult.
That started a 30 year love affair with this country which led to marrying my Mexican husband and building a home in Mexico. And now I have even a stronger connection to this gorgeous and complex country.
