It’s not just Mexican, It’s international: Horchata

Image via tucsonmeetyourself.org

The milk-like substance with a touch of cinnamon in it, that circulates all day in the beverage dispenser at your local Mexican restaurant — is a staple in the overall Hispanic community; it is known as horchata.

Due to this beverage’s strong association with the Mexican community, it is a common misconception that its origin stems from Mexico. However, this beverage has existed for centuries across different parts of the world and remains relevant in modern interpretations.

Long before horchata was named the most popular flavor mentioned by a Good Morning America article in the country in 2019, it originated in Ancient Egypt and Northern Africa. Around 2400 BC, the first interpretation of the beverage was made with a combination of barley, honey, and herbs. These ingredients initially helped name the drink “hordiat,” a term derived from the Latin word “hordeata,” meaning made with barley. Horchata that was made with barley, which symbolized fertility and life, was used during religious practices as a tribute to the gods.

Horchata’s international roots extended out to Roman times as they drank it because they believed it to have healing properties — cooling the body during hot temperatures and soothing fussy babies.

Through expansion and conquest, horchata started to take its more familiar milky form, as this was partially due to the Muslims from North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula invading Spain from 730CE, until the 15th century. As a result of this invasion, barley, the key ingredient in horchata, was replaced by chufa, also known as tiger nuts. These grew abundantly in the fertile grounds of Valencia.

This innovation using chufa was the first time horchata was being curated differently, leaving a lasting impression on Spain, as this continues to be their horchata recipe. Preparing Horchata de Chufa involves soaking the nuts in water, grinding them, and then straining the mixture to extract a creamy, white liquid. This liquid is sweetened with sugar and flavored with cinnamon and lemon zest. This interpretation possibly led to the more well-renowned version of horchata, which is the Mexican style that incorporates rice into the recipe.

In contrast to the heinous acts, such as spreading numerous diseases to the indigenous people, the Spanish made the god-like contribution of bringing over horchata with them during the colonization of Mexico. It is uncertain when the Mexican style of horchata was created, but the consensus is that it happened sometime during the 16th century. The lack of resources in the New World prompted the indigenous people to replace chufa in the recipe with a more bountiful grain — rice. This change still provided the same milky appearance that horchata was known for, and in different regions of Mexico, some extra ingredients were added. For example, in Alvarado, a city in the state of Veracruz, Aztec marigold flowers, also known as Cempasúchil, are used.

Further down Latin America, past Mexico, horchata’s versatility is apparent as its traditional recipe and appearance change. This includes the version from El Salvador, where it is called Horchata de Morro, named after the various seeds and spices that are used to make it. In Venezuela, there is a drink that resembles horchata called chicha. Pasta noodles are used as the grain component in preparing the drink while still maintaining the cinnamon flavor. In Ecuador, horchata is not a milky, dessert-like beverage, but rather a herbal medicinal drink with a reddish color.

As far as horchata has traveled from its place of origin, it hasn’t been forgotten about as people continue to drink the chufa version in parts of Africa, such as Mali and Nigeria, referring to it as Kunnu Aya.

Through its numerous variations, horchata has continued to prosper throughout history and has transcended into mainstream popular culture. RumChata, a popular creamy liqueur inspired by horchata, was manufactured and launched in 2009. It uses Caribbean rum, dairy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and other ingredients. In 2017, the coffee juggernaut Starbucks launched its gentrified version of horchata, a dairy-free version using almond milk as the creamy component while still keeping the cinnamon flavor in it.

Image via everydaylatina.com

Since horchata has traveled through time and different landscapes it has changed appearance and recipes all the while still maintaining its ingredient-derived name being proof of resiliency and an example of evolution through cultural exchange.