Native Hearth

Two days ago I had a wonderful indigenous drink called Atole.  Our friend Clayton, a farmer at Tesuque Pueblo in northern NM,  made this Atole with finely ground blue corn meal and granulated maple sugar from Gun Lake Potawatami.

In the Pueblos of NM this drink is called ah-geh. Atole is a hot corn drink originating in Mexico and South America, but versions of this nourishing beverage can be found wherever corn is traditionally grown. Atole is traditionally made with finely ground parched corn flour,  water and/or milk and seasoned with with raw cane sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and sometimes chocolate and fruit. Atole is usually served as a breakfast on cold days in Mexico and the Desert Southwest.

Please visit my recipes page to find a wonderfully simple recipe for Atole! This recipe came from a wonderful and inspiring new cookbook called “The Pueblo Food Experience” by Roxanne Swentzell and Patricia M. Perea. .  I got to meet Roxanne at a wonderful event that my mom spoke at called “The Gathering For Mother Earth” hosted by “Tewa Women United”.

If you want to learn more about Clayton Brascoupe and his organization called Traditional Native American Farmers Association