There’s wonderful little song in Spanish called “Bate, Bate Chocolate”, about mixing (beating/whipping) a delicious kind of hot chocolate drink often served in Mexico for breakfast. Originally heard mainly as a type of nursery rhyme among Spanish-speaking people, the song is now widely popular since it’s use in the PBS show, Dora The Explorer.
The song is really simple. It counts to three (uno, dos tres), then it spells out the word “chocolate”(CHO CO LA TE). The word “báte” is from the Spanish verb “batear” meaning to whip or beat . Why is the chocolate being beaten or whipped? It’s how the drink is prepared. After you’ve put all the ingredients together and heated them up, a carved stick called a molinillo is rubbed between your hands to create the frothiness and delicious texture that makes this such a special treat!
Want to try your own Mexican-style hot chocolate while singing the song? Below are two posts that make it easy to try! Although it does help to have a special molinillo tool to make it frothy, you really can’t find a wrong way to enjoy hot chocolate on a cold day!
Lyrics to my version of “Bate, Bate Chocolate” are below. And if you want to count to 10 in Spanish, instead of just up to three as in the song; “Báte, Báte”, try the simple rhyme below. Diez Amigos/Ten Good Friends is a fun and easy bilingual counting song for teaching children numbers in both English and Spanish.
Listening Links
Báte, Báte Chocolate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2osmKIhdalG0si6IjQri3j
Báte, Báte Chocolate on Apple Music https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beautiful-rainbow-world/id208109471
Báte, Báte Chocolate on Pandora https://www.pandora.com/artist/dora-the…/bate-bate-chocolate/TRlVgkxZ6rxkcwK
Links And Resources
Báte, Báte Chocolate- Free Printable Lyric Sheet https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bate-Bate-Chocolate-Free-Lyric-Sheet-3732121
Learn How To Make Your Own Mexican Hot Chocolate!
Directions For Mexican Hot Chocolate From Pati’s Mexican Table: https://patijinich.com/ancient_ways_for_comfort_in_cold_days_mexican_hot_chocolate/
Directions For Mexican Hot Chocolate From Multicultural Cooking Network http://multiculturalcookingnetwork.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/authentic-mexican-hot-chocolate-recipe/
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Diez Amigos/Ten Good Friends
Uno, dos, tres amigos,
Cuatro, cinco, seis amigos,
Siete, ocho, nueve amigos,
Diez amigos son….
One (and) two (and) three good friends
Four (and) Five (and) six good friends
Seven (and) eight (and) nine good friends
Ten good friends are we!
(Photo above courtesy of Pati’s Mexican Table – An Excellent site for exploring Mexican Cooking!)
