Professor Butter Beard and a Maya Chocolate Drinking Vessel
“The first bowl of chocolate pudding was too hot, but Goldilocks ate it anyway because, hey, it’s chocolate pudding, right? – Mo Willems, “Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs”
It’s hot. I mean, really hot! I’m not designed for this weather where it feels like I just walked into a brick bread oven that has been heated to 500 degrees and spritzed with water to bathe the baguettes with steam. Nellie steps outside and looks at me with those velvet eyes begging me to switch it off please. We stumble through a quick stroll and then both run inside for immediate rewards. For Nels, it is three ice cubes to chase in her water bowl and for me….. my face deep in the freezer as I reach for one of my frozen Dark Chocolate Kit Kats.
Yup. Even in the blazing heat of summer I still crave chocolate. And I am not historically alone.
Chocolate is made from the fruit of cacao trees, which are native to Central and South America. According to Hayes Lavis, the cultural arts curator for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, ancient Olmec pots and vessels from around 1500 BCE were discovered with traces of theobromine, the stimulant compound found in chocolate and tea. The Olmecs undoubtedly passed their cacao knowledge on to the Central American Maya who not only consumed chocolate, but they also revered it. The Maya written history mentions chocolate drinks being used in celebrations and to finalize important transactions and ceremonies. And they drank their celebratory chocolate in incredibly beautiful detailed ceramic vessels.
This painted ceramic vessel in the collection of the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, D.C., shows us an intimate scene involving a ruler and the members of his court. According to Dr. Cara Grace Tremain, its style can be dated to the Late Classic period (650-850 CE), a time in which painted ceramics were manufactured in large quantities, many depicting scenes of the Maya royal court.
Maya hieroglyphic writing was commonly painted around the rim of these vessels, to announce its owner and describe the contents inside (frequently the chocolate drink known as cacao). The writing states that the vase is a drinking vessel, belonging to K’ebij Ti Chan, the son of Sak Muwaan (whose name translates as White Bird), ruler of the site Motul de San Jose in Guatemala, whose exact period of reign is unknown but is likely to have been between 711 and 726 CE.
Dr. Tremain believes the importance of the ruler on this vase is emphasized by his placement on the throne, above the other figures in the scene. He sits with his legs crossed and back resting on a large cushion, which is in front of a chest that appears to hold sporting equipment and costumes for a known Maya ballgame. To his right, a kneeling attendant offers him a small dish, perhaps containing food, but the ruler’s attention appears to be drawn towards the two other attendants seated on the ground. All the vessel’s characters wear the same body paint and somewhat similar jewelry and sporting accoutrements. Perhaps a pre-game tailgate bash?
We know the Maya used painted ceramics in feasting events to serve food and beverages, and as gifts for elites and rulers from neighboring sites. Dr. Tremain writes that feasts were not only a means of celebration and festivity but were also important political events that fostered relationships between different sites. Ceramics therefore played an important social and political role as objects that were used and gifted. Consequently, vases of this kind were used, gifted, and traded between sites all throughout the ancient Maya region.
Today, I too feel like gifting some deliciously festive chocolate throughout my own region. To elevate my favorite chocolate pot de crème, I have added in warming Maya spices including chili pepper, coffee and cinnamon. And instead of turning on the oven to bake the pots in a steamy water bath, I cook the seasoned custard on the stove top and strain it over the chocolate ensuring a deliciously smooth and satisfying chilled finish – even on the hottest days of summer.
But yes, I can still promise, you will always find a few frozen Kit Kats at the ready. Just when you need them.
Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème
6-8 Servings
10 ounces dark chocolate morsels (10 ounces is usually one bag)
5 large egg yolks
5 Tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
2 tsp espresso powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla paste
1) Place the chocolate in a large glass bowl and set a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl.
2) In a medium glass bowl, whisk together the 5 yolks, the sugar, salt and chili powder. Add the heavy cream and milk and whisk to combine.
3) Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk in the espresso powder and cinnamon. Cook the mixture over a medium-low heat, whisking gently all the time, until the mixture reaches 175 degrees. Do not let the mixture boil!
4) Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla paste and gently whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Use a ladle to evenly divide the mixture into six to eight ramakins.
5) Let the pots cool to room temperature and then chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
6) I recommend topping the pots with a spoon of freshly whipped cream and a berry or two.
