The word "atole" derives from Nahuatl, the still-living language of the Aztecs, who were defeated by Hernán Cortés in 1521 in what is now Mexico City.
A Delight with History
At one time, long before Cortés surprised Moctezuma with a visit, the people of Mexico had been drinking atole for many centuries, probably millennia.
It’s no surprise, since atole is likely the easiest way to consume corn, a crop first cultivated in the Americas. Just add water to ground corn, and voila: atole.
As early as 1651, the process of making atole was documented by botanist Francisco Hernández in a report on plant use in New Spain.
Traditional atole was made with eight parts water and six parts corn, plus lime, cooked until tender. The corn was then ground and cooked again until it thickened.
This description of Mexican atolones by the Englishwoman Fanny Chambers Gooch, written in 1887, provides an interesting view of the variety of drinks of that time.
The Delicious Atole
The author describes atole as simple, resembling Indian porridge but much better in flavor, subtly flavored with lime in which the corn is soaked, and prepared by grinding on a metate, which retains substances lost in milling with a mill...
Milk-based atole, when added with chocolate, takes the name of champurrado; if cacao husks are added, it becomes shell atole; if red chili is added... chili atole.
If, on the other hand, any of these sweet waters are added — such as sweet agave water, piloncillo (native brown sugar) makes it atole de agua miel; if added with piloncillo, the sugar becomes native brown sugar, changing the name again to atole de pinole.
There is evidence that atole was mixed with chocolate dating back to the Maya era.
In present-day Yucatán, where the strongest Maya influences remain, they serve a thick chocolate-flavored atole called tanchcua, to which allspice, honey, and black pepper are added. Although the following recipe uses milk, it is common in Mexico to replace milk with water for making champurrado. Feel free to experiment… there are so many ways to do it!
Atole is like very fine porridge. Served hot, it is an excellent way to warm up on a cold morning. Relatively quick and easy to prepare, atole is often enjoyed at breakfast, but can be savored anytime during the day.
Commercial mixes are available, but atole is so simple to make that it has probably been prepared by Mesoamerican grandmothers for years.
