Tejuino is a cold fermented beverage made from

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

and popularly consumed in the

Mexican states The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a separate en ...

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

and Chihuahua. Tejuino is usually made from corn dough, the same kind used for

tortillas A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of M ...

and

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 ...

s. The dough is mixed with water and

piloncillo 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 ...

(cone-shaped unrefined cane sugar) and boiled until the liquid is very thick. The liquid is then allowed to ferment very slightly. The resulting drink is generally served cold, with lime juice, a pinch of salt and a scoop of shaved ice or lime

sorbet Sorbet (), also called "water ice", is a frozen dessert made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit purée, wine, liqueur, honey, etc. Generally sorbets do not contain dairy ingredients, while sherbets do. Etymology The word "sorbet" en ...

. Although the drink is strongly associated with the state of Jalisco, it is also commonly found in other parts of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and more recently in Mexican American communities across

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

. In Mexico it is usually sold by street vendors in small plastic cups or in plastic bags tied around a straw. In the United States it can be found in

Mexican juice bar A Frutería or Mexican juice bar (Literal translation: ''Fruit-shop'') is a Juice#Juice bar, juice bar that primarily serves Mexican desserts, Drink, beverages, Mexican street food, antojitos and other popular Mexican snack foods. Mexican juice ba ...

Origin

The exact origin of Tejuino is disputed; however, most Mexicans agree that the drink dates back to pre-Columbian times. The ancient

Nahua people 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 ...

of Mexico viewed Tejuino as the "drink of the gods" and it is still called this by some Mexicans today.

Variations

Within the state of Jalisco there are variations as to how it is served. In Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, for example, tejuino is served without ''nieve de limon''; in Guadalajara, Jalisco, it is usually served with ''nieve de limon'', at the buyer's discretion. ''Nieve de limon'' is a homemade lime sorbet that is often added to the drink to bring out its natural flavor.

Alcohol content

Since tejuino is only allowed to ferment for a couple of days at most, the alcohol content is actually very low. There is a common myth among Mexicans that one can get drunk from drinking too much tejuino; however, this is usually due to the addition of small amounts of beer in some recipes rather than the alcohol content of the tejuino itself.

Gallery

File:Tejuino.JPG, A Tejuino in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

References

{{corn Maize-based drinks Mexican drinks Fermented drinks Mexican alcoholic drinks

Origin

Variations

Alcohol content

Gallery

See also

References