page_title: Champurrado
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Champurrado / History
caption_attribution_description: English: en:Champurrado&#160;: mexican chocolate-based drink Français&#160;: fr:Champurrado&#160;: boisson lactée mexicaine au chocolat Champurrado
context_page_description: Champurrado is a chocolate-based atole, a warm and thick Mexican beverage, prepared with either masa de maíz, masa harina, or corn flour; piloncillo; water or milk; and occasionally containing cinnamon, anise seed, or vanilla. Ground nuts, orange zest, and egg can also be employed to thicken and enrich the drink. Atole drinks are whipped up using a wooden whisk called a molinillo. The whisk is rolled between the palms of the hands, then moved back and forth in the mixture until it is aerated and frothy; a blender may also be used.
  Champurrado is traditionally served with churros in the morning as a simple breakfast or as a late afternoon snack. Champurrado is also very popular during Day of the Dead and at Las Posadas, where it is served alongside tamales. Champurrado may also be made with alcohol.
context_section_description: Chocolate is native to the Amazon and it was first cultivated by the Mayas and the Aztecs. The Mayans used the cocoa beans in various ceremonies such as marriage and trade. Chocolate beverages date back to 450 BC with the Aztecs. They drank chocolate with corn puree, or masa. These drinks were thought of as magical and upon drinking, would give the drinker power and strength. In the sixteenth century, Spain invaded the Americas numerous times and brought back many items to Spain, one of those items being chocolate. The chocolate was drunk pure and heated. This was a luxury and something only aristocrats could afford as only the very rich could afford prized cocoa beans. Over time, the drink was changed. Early Spanish colonists adapted a beverage created in ancient Aztec times composed of water and masa harina. They changed it by adding sugar, milk, and chocolate.
  Since sugar came to the Americas sometime after Europeans did, chocolate was said to have an acquired taste as it comes off as bitter without added sweetener. The Spaniards created a drink consisting of chocolate, vanilla, and other spices which was served chilled. This drink cannot be compared to modern-day hot chocolate as it was very spicy and bitter, contrasting with the modern notion of very sweet, warm chocolate.
  The Mexican drink has been around since pre-Columbian times, among the Aztecs and Maya.
  The invention of champurrado shows the adaptation of ancient practices to European colonizers. Upon the production of the drink, special tools like the molinillo were made to assist in the making of the drink. There are many versions of champurrado in different countries, such as the Philippines where champorado, or tsokolate, is a beloved Filipino breakfast drink. The Philippines received their cocoa from Mexico and made their own variation of the drink, adapted to their own resources, like sweet sticky rice.
  Many Latin Americans, especially Mexicans, love to enjoy a nice cup of champurrado around the holidays when the weather tends to get colder around the time of year. According to most who drink champurrado, it is a delicious beverage and highly differs from hot chocolate according to its taste and texture. The taste of the beverage also varies based on how it was made.
caption: Champurrado Mexican chocolate-based drink
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