Colombians call them batidos, which translates loosely as “shakes.” Mexicans call them preparados or licuados. By any name, they are delicious summer drinks–fruit blended with sugar, milk or water and whipped until smooth and foamy.
The drink, found throughout Central and South America and Southeast Asia, may be sold in a paper cup at a corner vendor, or in a plain glass at a mom and pop restaurant.
A batido can be made with nearly any fruit. There are batidos of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. There are those made from tropical fruits–mangoes, papayas or soursop (guanabana) or of bananas, tamarind and passion fruit (maracuya or granadilla). Batidos are often made from the tomate de arbol, a sweet-tart vegetable that is eaten as a fruit in Latin America.
One of the more fancifully named batidos is called morir y sonando (dying and dreaming) and is made from the unlikely but delicious combination of orange juice, milk and sugar. The drink is pale orange in color, creamy, tart and refreshing.
When fresh fruit isn’t available, batido aficionados use frozen fruit pulp, which is sold in packages in some Latin American groceries and includes mango, papaya, mamey, coconut, tamarind and guava (guayaba).
What may not lend themselves to the drink are Persian and Crenshaw melons, said Zarela Martinez, the Manhattan restaurateur and author of “Food From My Heart”, a book of Mexican recipes. “The flavors are too subtle,” she said.
Within the world of batidos, there are subcultures. Some people prefer batidos with milk, others with water. In Brazil, batidos are sometimes made with white rum. There is no dogma about recipes. Martinez mixes equal parts strawberries and milk, with a few ice cubes and a spoonful of sugar. At Nam Phuong, a Vietnamese restaurant in TriBeCa, there’s the delicate sinh to man cau: “sinh to” translates to “shake;” “man cau” to “soursop.” The recipe sounds odd but it works. For an 8-ounce drink, co-owner Ky Bui mixed 1 1/2 tablespoons of evaporated milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh soursop, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 12 ounces of crushed ice.
Finding batidos can be tough. Some Colombian, Puerto Rican or Vietnamese restaurants have them, but not all. If a batido can’t be bought, it can be made at home, and leftovers can be reconstituted. Toss the batido back in a blender, add an extra ice cube and whip until it froths.
STRAWBERRY PREPARADO
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
Adapted from “Food From My Heart,” by Zarela Martinez.
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced, about 1 cup
1 cup milk or ice water
4 ice cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and process until pureed.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories………..265 Fat……………9 g Cholesterol………35 mg
Sodium……….120 mg Carbohydrates….40 g Protein……………9 g
MORIR Y SONANDOR (DYING AND DREAMING)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
5 ounces orange juice
2 ounces milk
3 ice cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smoothly pureed.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories………..180 Fat…………….2 g Cholesterol………8 mg
Sodium………..30 mg Carbohydrates…..40 g Protein…………..3 g
