Pepe's Chile

A Gringo's Culture Guide to Chile

  • Home
  • Culture
  • Travel
  • Pesos
  • Facts
  • About
  • Book
  • Español
Home » Mote Con Huesillo – Traditional Chilean Drink

Mote Con Huesillo – Traditional Chilean Drink

Mote con Huesillo roughly translates to peaches with wheat. When you think of that combination, you might be tempted to turn away. However, this isn’t a pile of chewy ingredients. This is a drink made from husked wheat (mote), and dried peaches (huesillo) soaked in sugar water to make a sweet and flavorful combination. In essence, it is a drink you can eat but it doesn’t melt like a milkshake.
mote con huesillo

How to Make Your Own

Wash and soak the dried peaches (huesillos) overnight to rehydrate. Cook the rehydrated huesillos in sugar water with some cinnamon for 30 minutes. Cook the husked wheat (mote) until tender, then drain. Add the cooked mote to the sweet huesillo liquid and then put it in the refrigerator. This drink is served chilled.

If ever there was a drink that symbolized Chilean summers it would be mote con huesillo.

You’ll find Mote con huesillo for sale from various street vendors that you’ll see as you travel around. If you are staying with friends or family, ask if they have a good family recipe they can share or a favorite place to buy the drink.

Mote con huesillo is so ingrained in Chilean culture and life that you’ll find ready-made variants for sale at the supermarket

:prepackaged mote con huesillo
Be sure you get a spoon to “drink” your mote con huesillo or it might be a hard time getting it down. Also keep in mind that depending on who makes your drink, the dried peaches might still have the pit in them. Careful how you chew!
Picture Credits:
Mote con Huesillo in a Cup by Jamie McIntyre
Mote con Huesillo at the supermarket by Pepe

Comments

  1. Anne Chernett says

    September 8, 2011 at 10:31 am

    This was my most favourite drink in Chile but it is really filling. If you are small like me treat it like a meal!

    • Pepe says

      September 12, 2011 at 4:51 pm

      @Anne – it definitely is filling. It is more like a food than a drink.

  2. Leticia says

    November 5, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    OMG…I can taste this Mote con Huesillo right now! It is the most delicious drink ever!! I agree with Anne, it is very filling. It is awesome served more so as a midday snack of to replace a meal.

    • Pepe says

      November 6, 2011 at 6:40 am

      @Leticia – mote con huesillo is a great snack especially when you are out and about town

  3. kalaya says

    December 18, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    We had a few days in Santiago/Chile about 2 weeks ago. Walked around downtown Santiago and saw this drink that looked similar to the drink in some Asian countries and popular among the locals. I must try it.
    Wow!! it’s beau……tiful. It’s so refreshing and delicious that we had to go back to the same vendor to have another one.

    • Pepe says

      December 19, 2011 at 12:20 pm

      @Kalaya – it definitely is refreshing, particularly on a hot summer day.

  4. Barbara says

    January 14, 2013 at 11:26 am

    Summer 2013: going price for “chico” sized mote con huesillo in Santiago street stands is $400. It was OK–not amazing. Glad I tried one though.

Traveling to Chile?

Learn the secrets of Chilean culture that every gringo should know:

Click to see the book

Get your culture book today

Traveling to Chile?

culture book

Find out what you should know before landing in Chile.

The Gringo’s Culture Guide to Chile is designed to help you understand Chileans, their culture, food, language, and daily life so you can enjoy your time in this beautiful country and not be blindsided by culture shock.

Read The Gringo’s Culture Guide to Chile

Copyright © 1995-2022 Joe Rawlinson. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy