Licuado
Encyclopedia
Smoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
s, made with milk, fruit, and usually ice. They are also sometimes called "preparados" (meaning "prepareds").
Licuados and other fresh fruit juice drinks are ubiquitous throughout Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. They are sold by street vendors
Hawker (trade)
A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with peddler or costermonger. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells items or food that are native to the area...
, and in special licuado shops, restaurants, and fruterias (restaurants specializing in fresh fruit).
Terminology and variations
Licuados ("blendeds" or "liquifieds" in Spanish) are among a larger category of fruit drinks made with fruit juice diluted with milk or water: jugos (juice), vitaminas, aguas frescasAguas frescas
Ades, punches, fruit drinks and other non-alcoholic flavored coolers, known as aguas frescas in some parts of Latin America, are a combination of either fruits, cereals, or seeds with sugar and water, blended to make a beverage. Aguas frescas are popular in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean,...
(juice mixed with sugar and water), refrescos (nonalcoholic carbonated soft drinks), and batidos. Names for various types of shakes and smoothies vary regionally, and are not completely fixed.
By contrast with aguas frescas, which are made in advance and ladled from large jars, and other drinks such as refrescos and jugos, which are typically mass-produced and bottled, licuados are blended and made to order. The main difference between a licuado and an American-style smoothie is that licuados use a milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
base, whereas smoothies use fruit juice, sometimes in combination with sherbet or yogurt. This makes them lower in calories, thinner, and higher in protein than most smoothies. Licuados may also contain nuts (such as almonds or walnuts) and sugar or honey. Variants include adding granola or using chocolate instead of fruit.
Sometimes batidos (loosely meaning "beaten") are said to have milk, with licuados described as a milk-free version. Term "batido" is described by some as Cuban. Different flavors of licuados or batidos have specific names, usually named after their ingredients. For example, a "trigo" (Spanish for "wheat") or "batido de trigo" is a batido with puffed wheat or other cooked grains blended in.
Popularity outside of Latin America
Licuados became popular in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1990s, during a period of immigration from Latin American countries. By 1996 the drink had arrived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where it was sold by street vendors. Already popular in border towns such as Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
(where they are a breakfast food) the drink spread to California, first among Mexican-Americans and at Mexican restaurants and food truck
Food truck
A food truck, mobile kitchen, mobile canteen, or catering truck is a mobile venue that sells food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell mostly frozen or prepackaged food; others are more like restaurants-on-wheels...
s. In 2002, the California Milk Processor Board
California Milk Processor Board
The California Milk Processor Board is a nonprofit marketing board funded by California dairy processors, and administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, most famous for its Got Milk? advertising campaign....
spent $1.5 million to popularize the drink, as a way of promoting milk consumption following their success with the Got Milk?
Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
campaign.
Equivalent drinks
A similar drink, called sihn to in Vietnam, is popular in Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.