Popo is a foamy and cold drink typical in the south of the state of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

and some areas of the state of Oaxaca, like the basin of Papaloapan or Istmo. Its main ingredient is

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

, which is sweetened with

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

panela Panela () or rapadura (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Central and Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other na ...

(unrefined brown sugar), and is mixed with water; also azquiote called cocomeca en Oaxaca is added, and/or chupipi, both foaming agents. Some recipes frequently flavor it with

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

and/or

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

, and they thicken it with maize dough or

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

. It is a ceremonial drink, which is prepared for weddings, baptisms, birthdays, patron saint festivals... Its consumption occurs with the cocoa harvest, between the months of August to December. In Ojitlán, a type of cocoa called tiger is used for the white veins of its fruits. In the local towns, such as

Tuxtepec San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec ( nah, Tōchtepēc, "on the hill of rabbits"), or simply referred to as Tuxtepec, is the head of the municipality by the same name and is the second most populous city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tux ...

, it is common to find street vendors offering a glass of popo for $10–15 MXN pesos. Its name comes from the Nahuatl ( hing"that smokes" or "that foams"), according to anthropologist Florentíno Cruz, in reference to the foaming characteristic of this drink. It is compared with

Popocatépetl Popocatépetl (; Nahuatl: ) is an active stratovolcano located in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico in central Mexico. It lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. At it is the second highest peak in Mexico, after C ...

, which is the "mountain that smokes". Popo is strongly linked to

indigenous communities Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

, particularly the

Nahuas The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, a ...

, Mixe-Popolucas, Zoque-Populucas,

Mazatec The Mazatec are an indigenous people of Mexico who inhabit the Sierra Mazateca in the state of Oaxaca and some communities in the adjacent states of Puebla and Veracruz. Language family The Mazatecan languages are part of the Popolocan family wh ...

s and Chinatecs. For these communities, the very preparation of the popo is in itself a ritual, which can last up to two days.

Preparation

Ingredients

* Cocoa beans (''

Theobroma cacao ''Theobroma cacao'', also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small ( tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. The largest pro ...

'') * Fine white sugar or panela (unrefined whole cane sugar) (''

Saccharum officinarum ''Saccharum officinarum'' is a large, strong-growing species of grass in the genus ''Saccharum''. Its stout stalks are rich in sucrose, a simple sugar which accumulates in the stalk internodes. It originated in New Guinea, and is now cultivated ...

'') * Foaming agent, which can be: ** Root, tender stems (sprouts) or flowers of azquiote, asquiote or axquiote, Veracruzian name; also called cocolmeca, cocolmecate, or cozolmeca, Oaxacan name (''Smilax domingensis'') ** Root, tender stems or fruit of chupipi or chupipe (''Gonolobus niger'') * Cinnamon stick or powder (''

Cinnamomum verum ''Cinnamomum verum'', called true cinnamon tree or Ceylon cinnamon tree, is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka. The inner bark of several other ''Cinnamomum'' species are also used to make cinnamon, but ...

'') * Whole or powdered anise (''

Pimpinella anisum Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and tar ...

'') * Whole rice (''

Oryza sativa ''Oryza sativa'', commonly known as Asian rice or indica rice, is the plant species most commonly referred to in English as ''rice''. It is the type of farmed rice whose cultivars are most common globally, and was first domesticated in the Yan ...

'') * Water

Preparation

The rice is left in the water to soften. Meanwhile, the cacao beans roast lightly in a comal. In other recipes, the cacao is left toasted from the previous day. The cocoa beans should be toasted, but not burned, since it bitters the taste and they feel scratchy in the throat. After the beans will be shelled, a process that is laborious. If the fruit of chupipi is used, it should be peeled and finely chopped. If azquiote stems are used, they are washed and also chopped. Cinnamon also can be lightly roasted to release its aroma and is cut up into pieces. Sometimes corn kernels or corn dough (

masa ''Masa'' (or ''masa de maíz'') (; ) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalization, nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, ''gorditas'', ''tamales'', ''pupusas'', and many other Latin American cuisine, Latin American d ...

) are also added. Corn is

nixtamalized Nixtamalization () is a process for the preparation of corn, or other grain, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater (but sometimes aqueous alkali metal carbonates), washed, and then hulled. The term ...

with corn cob ash and the corn leaf and then grounded and dried in the sun. Everything together is grounded in

metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organic ma ...

(a mealing stone) or in the nixtamal mill until a kind of dense paste remains. The paste is mixed with water and strained several times with a tusor rag (of cotton) or

colander A colander (or cullender) is a kitchen utensil used to strain foods such as pasta or to rinse vegetables. The perforated nature of the colander allows liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside. It is sometimes also called a past ...

. Finally, sugar and ices are added, and foamed with a molinillo (wooden whisk). It is traditional to serve it in a jícara bowl and eat it with spoonfuls accompanied by

tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamale ...

Characteristics

Popo is eaten coldly, usually with crushed ice, traditionally in a wooden bowl or jícara (teacup) (called or ' in Nahua). It has a

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...

and slightly spicy or

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

d taste; some think it leaves a feeling of dryness in the mouth. It is considered that a good Popo should be abundantly foamed.

References

{{Mexican cuisine Mexican drinks

Preparation

Ingredients

Preparation

Characteristics

See also

References