Ibarra (chocolate) facts for kids
Ibarra is a famous brand of Mexican chocolate. It's often called "table chocolate" because it's usually used to make a delicious drink, not eaten like a candy bar. This chocolate has been made since 1925. Since 1954, a company called Chocolatera de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, has been making it.
Ibarra is well-known across Mexico. You can also find it in many other countries, especially in the Americas and parts of Europe.
What Makes Ibarra Chocolate Special?
Ibarra chocolate comes in a unique red and yellow box shaped like a hexagon. Each piece of chocolate is a round tablet, about 1/2 inch (13 mm) thick and 3 1/4 inches (83 mm) wide. These tablets are molded into 8 wedges, making them easy to break apart. You can even see the letters "IBARRA" molded right into the chocolate!
The main ingredients in Ibarra chocolate are cocoa paste, sugar, cinnamon, and soy lecithin. There's also a special version that doesn't have extra vegetable fat. This means the only fat comes naturally from the cocoa butter, making it a very pure chocolate.
How to Enjoy Ibarra Chocolate
Unlike regular chocolate bars, Ibarra table chocolate has a rough, gritty texture because the sugar isn't fully dissolved. While you *can* eat it as is, it's mostly made for preparing traditional Mexican hot cocoa.
The best way to make Ibarra hot cocoa is simple:
- Use about two wedges of chocolate for each cup of milk or water.
- Heat the milk until it's almost boiling.
- Then, put the hot milk and chocolate wedges into a blender.
- Blend until the chocolate is completely dissolved and the drink is smooth.
- Serve it hot and enjoy!
You can also make it on the stove. Just dissolve the wedges in hot milk. Then, whisk the cocoa with a special Mexican whisk called a molinillo or a regular wire whisk. In Mexico, some people even add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy chocolate drink, just like the ancient Aztec and Mayan people used to do!
Ibarra chocolate is also used in some traditional Mexican sauces called mole sauces. One famous example is mole poblano, where the chocolate adds a rich, deep flavor.
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