popo

Popo is a foamy and cold drink typical in the south of the state of Veracruz and some areas of the state of Oaxaca, like the basin of Papaloapan or Istmo. Its main ingredient is cocoa, which is sweetened with sugar or panela (unrefined brown sugar), and is mixed with water; also azquiote called cocomeca en Oaxaca is added, and/or chupipi, both foaming agents. Some recipes frequently flavor it with cinnamon and/or anise, and they thicken it with maize dough or rice.
It is a ceremonial drink, which is prepared for weddings, baptisms, birthdays, patron saint festivals... Its consumption occurs with the cocoa harvest, between the months of August to December. In Ojitlán, a type of cocoa called tiger is used for the white veins of its fruits. In the local towns, such as Tuxtepec, it is common to find street vendors offering a glass of popo for $10–15 MXN pesos.
Its name comes from the Nahuatl popocti ([thing] "that smokes" or "that foams"), according to anthropologist Florentíno Cruz, in reference to the foaming characteristic of this drink. It is compared with Popocatépetl, which is the "mountain that smokes". Popo is strongly linked to indigenous communities, particularly the Nahuas, Mixe-Popolucas, Zoque-Populucas, Mazatecs and Chinatecs. For these communities, the very preparation of the popo is in itself a ritual, which can last up to two days.

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