🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Cuisine

Tiste

Cacao Corn Drink

Prep Time 30 min
Servings 6
Difficulty Medium
Calories 192 kcal

A refreshing cold drink made from toasted ground corn, cacao, cinnamon, and sugar, blended with water and ice, a pre-Columbian beverage.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried corn kernels
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 litres cold water
  • Ice cubes
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. 1 Toast corn kernels on a dry comal or skillet until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
  2. 2 Toast cacao nibs and cinnamon sticks separately until aromatic, about 3 minutes.
  3. 3 Grind all toasted ingredients together into a fine powder using a blender or mill.
  4. 4 Dissolve the powder and sugar in water, stirring vigorously until fully incorporated.
  5. 5 Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Add vanilla extract.
  6. 6 Serve over plenty of ice. The drink should be cool, slightly gritty, and deeply flavored with chocolate and corn.

Did You Know?

Tiste has been consumed in Nicaragua since before the arrival of the Spanish, making it one of the oldest continuously prepared beverages in the Americas.

From The Culinary Codex — http://theculinarycodex.com/dish/nicaraguan/tiste/