Home Recipes with Noticiero Móvil: Horchata

Horchata, a refreshing milky drink with notes of cinnamon and rice, has been around for centuries. It is commonly consumed across the United States with different versions available in taquerías and Mexican dessert shops. Although some assume its recipe calls for milk, horchata uses the richness of rice and cinnamon together to create that distinct and addicting flavor. 

Horchata originated in Ancient Egypt, originally known as hordeata, from the Latin word hordeum which translates to barley. The Romans’ version became popular around the area due to its nutritious value. Barley was then changed to tiger nuts when the recipe was brought to the Iberain peninsula. In countries like Nigeria and Mali, their version called Kunun Aya is made of tiger nuts, coconut and dates. The drink rapidly spread across Spain, especially Valencia where it was known as horchata de chufa. This version was made from soaked and then blended tiger nuts, water and sugar. And through the introduction by Spanish and Portuguese traders to Mexico, the drink eventually became the horchata we dearly love now as a creamy, cinnamon-spiced and rice-based agua fresca. 

Everyone has their own recipes in making this beloved drink. But after cross-referencing many recipes across the internet, the ingredients white rice, cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract and white sugar came up frequently. 

Here is a recipe by “Mexico In My Kitchen” that Noticiero Móvil reporter Mariel Day followed step-by-step. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 1 stick Mexican cinnamon
• 4 cups hot water
• 8 cups extra water to finish the drink
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup milk (optional) 
• Ice cubes to serve 

Steps: 

1. Place the rice and cinnamon stick in a bowl and add the 4 cups of hot water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or dish. Let it soak overnight or at least 8 hours. 
2. The next day, pour the rice, cinnamon and water into a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Use a strainer or a sieve to strain the mixture into a pitcher. 
4. Add the milk (if using), vanilla extract and the rest of the water.
5. Stir in the sugar, adjusting the amount to fit your taste. Let the drink chill in the refrigerator.
6. Stir the horchata before serving. Serve in glasses with ice cubes.
7. Enjoy. 

Mariel Day, a senior Spanish and Journalism dual major at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) reported this article and recorded this video for Noticiero Móvil.