H69.131.1B

• spanish

Pot. Description: Chocolate pot---"chocolatero", and stirrer (blackish metal) handle broken. a. pot b. stirrer Dimensions: a. 5 x 4 1/2 x 6 1/4" b. 11 3/8" long From the History Information Station: Object: Pitcher from 19th century Mexico used as a chocolate pot. History: Spanish explorers were introduced to chocolate by the Native Americans, who had made stimulating beverages from the seeds of the tree they called the acuatl for centuries. The explorers carried their wonderful discovery back to Spain and Portugal, where chocolate became a favorite treat. In Spanish Alta California, hot drinks made from chocolate imported from Mexico were more common than either tea or coffee. The source of chocolate is the cacao tree, which is native to South America, but is also extensively cultivated in the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America. The name chocolate comes from the Aztec word chocolatl (choco, meaning cocoa, and latl, meaning water). If you are a chocolate lover you will probably agree that its Latin name, Theobroma cacao, meaning "the food of the gods," is highly appropriate. Museum Purchase The Food of the Gods The early Californians liked their chocolate thick and sweet, and would beat it into a foamy froth with a molinillo before serving. To taste an authentic Spanish cup of chocolate, you might like to try this recipe at home: Champurrado (A Thick Chocolate) 6 Teaspoons grated chocolate or cocoa 6 teaspoons sugar 1 cup hot water 5 cups milk 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla dash of cinnamon and nutmeg 1/2 cup masa or 2 tablespoons cornstarch Mix chocolate or cocoa with sugar and dissolve in hot water; add the scalded milk a little at a time; blend and cook slowly in a double boiler. Thicken with masa or cornstarch dissolved in a little of the liquid. Just before serving, fold in the well-beaten eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Used: chocolatero | Mexican