Curaçaoan Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate certainly wasn’t part of my family’s Jewish tradition, but for the Jews of the Dutch West Indian island of Curaçao, a brith (circumcision ceremony) simply wouldn’t be complete without it. Steaming cups of hot chocolate are traditionally served with crisp, flat cinnamon cookies called panlevi. Traditionally, the chocolate would be thickened with egg. To trim the fat, I use a little cornstarch.