it. An unknown ingredient or unusual combination will usually trump a
familiar favorite. This week, at Itanoni, this gamble paid off in
spades. I discovered Tascalate!
I had no idea what to expect when the man described a drink of
"achiote, toasted corn, cocoa" - but I ordered it with leche, instead
of agua. The light orange-tinged milk - the color of a bad spray tan -
didn't make me any more confident. It even took a few sips to win me
over - the toasty corniness, the cocoa richness. What I missed the
first time was the inclusion of canela (Mexican cinnamon).
I resisted ordering a second cup and came home and Googled, learning
that it does come as a premade mix. The next day, when we were
checking out an organic grocery down the street from our house (things
are so different than the first week we were here, everything was
closed for the holidays, that we're seeing many things for the first
time this week), I spotted a telltale orange powder - and asked "Que
es esto?" I was rewarded with the answer I wanted, and soon we were
drinking Tascalate at home.
Check out E's satisfaction with this new taste! He said it tasted like
chocolatey, and he is right. But it also tastes so much more, so
interesting and different. So our problem is that we want to drink
Tascalate all day long.
