There’s a drink in Mexico so sacred, it used to be only for rituals. Its viscous and milky texture makes it look and feel like something out of this world, something that belongs to the gods, but not to people. No other drink is so particular to Mexico than the one called pulque: the legendary, ancient drink passed down by the Aztecs and other pre-Columbian peoples. It’s frothy, white, a bit foamy, and it predates the arrival of the Spaniards by at least 1,500 years.
If tequila had a laid-back, trustworthy, cool uncle, it would be pulque. If it had a hipster, vegan brother who knows how to throw a party, it would be mezcal. All three drinks come from the same family of plants, but pulque is made by fermenting the sap of maguey, or agave, as opposed to distilling it. When the maguey plant blooms, the heart and stem are cut, leaving a hollow space that begins to fill with a clear liquid called aguamiel, which literally translates to honey-water. Aguamiel acquires a frothy consistency once it starts fermenting, a texture that remains so once it becomes pulque.
Back in the day, the only ones allowed to drink pulque were the elderly, the nobility, and priests, and it was usually reserved for rituals that involved Aztec gods. It was seen as a sacred drink, but people in Mexico preserved the tradition of drinking pulque, and it became a staple of the working class. In the late nineteenth century, Mexico City had close to 1,500 pulque joints or pulquerías. Nowadays, there are only about 40.
According to the BBC, pulque’s decline started in the early 20th century, when beer replaced pulque as the go-to drink. Fun fact: beer was actually brought to Mexico shortly after the Spanish Conquest. In fact, the first royal permit is from 1546, a couple of decades after the colonial period of Mexico began. But it would take hundreds of years before beer became the most sought after alcoholic beverage in Mexico, in part thanks to beer’s relatively long shelf life and the fact that it increasingly became a status symbol. Except pulque is now making a comeback. You think craft beers are cool? Think again. Young artists and hipsters have decided to go back to where it all began, especially because pulque is everything beer is not: fiercely Mexican.
@quiuvoPulque comes in several presentations. Curado, or cured pulque, is called this way because they mix it with any given flavor, usually fruit flavors. There are curados made from strawberries, walnuts, pineapples, and even tomatoes that make it taste almost like a smoothie.
Uncured or pure pulque is the way it has been drunk for centuries: unaltered and straight from the maguey. Pure pulque is best when it’s fresh, so there’s nothing like a little trip to Mexico to try the real deal.
Drinking pulque brings many benefits. It’s nearly a full meal, and you’ll certainly feel it in your belly after you’ve had a full glass. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t actually get you drunk right away, but be careful, pulque is tricky. For the uninitiated, its peculiar flavor and strange consistency might be a little too much, but once you’ve acquired the taste, there really is nothing quite like it.
@godin_gourmet
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