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Tiste
Tiste: toasted maize and cacao ground with cinnamon and stirred into sweet cold water, drunk from a jícara gourd
In Nicaragua tiste belongs to the hot season and to the countryside around León, Chinandega and Masaya, where it is served in a jícara, a polished half-gourd, at fiestas patronales, at markets and to anyone arriving tired from the fields. Dried maize and cacao beans are toasted until fragrant, ground with cinnamon to a fine flour, then stirred into cold water with sugar. It is grainy in a pleasant way, with the taste of toasted corn, a deep cocoa bitterness and warm cinnamon; in the north they add a little achiote for colour. The common mistake is under-toasting the maize: it needs to go a deep golden-brown, with a few kernels popping, or the drink tastes raw and floury. It is ready when the powder smells like popcorn and chocolate, and the mixed drink is a cloudy cocoa brown that needs stirring as it settles. Traditionally the grinding was done on a stone; a high-powered blender or grain mill works well. If you cannot get dried maize, toast 150 g masa harina in a dry pan until golden instead. Chef's tip: make a double batch of the powder and keep it in a jar; it lasts a month and a glass takes one minute.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the tiste powder
- 5 ½ oz dried white maize kernelsor 150 g masa harina, toasted for 5 minutes
- 1 ⅜ oz cacao beans
- 1 cinnamon stickabout 8 cm, broken up
For the drink
- 6 ¼ cups cold water
- 4 oz sugaror grated panela
To serve
- 12 ice cubes (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toast the 5 ½ oz dried white maize kernels in a heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the kernels are a deep golden-brown, a few have popped and it smells like popcorn.
20 minStep 2: Tip onto a tray. In the same pan toast the 1 ⅜ oz cacao beans over a low heat, shaking often, until the shells crackle and loosen and the kitchen smells of chocolate.
10 minStep 3: Let the cacao cool for a few minutes, then rub off and discard the papery shells.
5 minStep 4: Grind the maize, peeled cacao and 1 cinnamon stick in a grain mill or high-powered blender, in batches, to a fine powder. Sift it and regrind any coarse bits.
8 minStep 5: Whisk the powder with 500 ml of the 2 cups cold water and the 4 oz sugar to a smooth paste, then whisk in the rest of the 4 ¼ cups cold water. Leave for 10 minutes so the maize softens.
12 minStep 6: Stir well and serve over 12 ice cubes in jícaras or glasses, stirring again as you drink, since the powder settles.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tiste take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Spanish