Atolli- Atole

Atolli,

maiz gruel, accounted for a considerable amount of the daily calorie intake. The basic recipe for atolli was eight parts water and six parts maize with lime that was cooked until it softened and then ground. The mixture was then boiled until it thickened. There were many variations of atolli: a mixture of 1/10th maguey syrup made nequatolli; adding chili ground with salt and tomato would make iztac atolli; letting maize dough sour for 4–5 days and then adding more fresh dough with chili and salt would make xocoatolli. Beans, baked tortillas with the crust cut off, toasted maize, chia, amaranth and honey could also be added and there was pinolli, ground toasted maize that was carried by travelers in sacks which could be mixed with water on the road for an instant meal.