tequesquite

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish tequesquite, from Nahuatl tequixquitl.

Noun

tequesquite

1. A natural mineral salt containing compounds of sodium chlorate and sodium carbonate, used by the Aztecs and later Mexicans as a food seasoning and leavening agent.
   • 2000, Rick Bayless, Mexico One Plate At A Time, page 88:

     The old-fashioned way is to use tequesquite, the naturally occurring form of sodium bicarbonate (sold in many Mexican markets). Because tamales don't contain strongly acidic ingredients, tequesquite's leavening is gentle, producing a lovely but less fluffy texture.

   • 2013, Diana Kennedy, My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with Recipes, page 213:

     Tequesquite is a type of mineral salt that combines chloride and sodium carbonate. It forms in a thin, brittle gray crust over the land around the edges of the highland lakes in central Mexico, particularly around Texcoco and the salt meadows of Puebla.

Alternative forms

• tequexquite, tequixquite

Translations

salt

• Spanish: tequesquite (es)