Atole

Atole and champurrado A warm cup set out to comfort the souls of the dead. Atole is a drink older than the Spanish arrival, made from corn, water and a sweetener such as piloncillo, and that corn is the point: maize was sacred to the Mexica and the Maya, so offering atole means offering the very basis of life and the body rather than just something to sip. Champurrado is the version with chocolate stirred in, thicker and richer. Either one sits well beside the tamales on the same table, and both are simple enough to make for a crowd in a single pot.