Pulque is a fermented agave juice popular in Central Mexico. This is a viscous drink of milky white color, with a sweetish-sour yeasty taste and a strength of 2-8% vol.
The drink pulque appeared in these territories long before the Spanish colonization. Initially, it was used in religious ceremonies; only privileged categories of people, mainly priests, could drink it. After 1519, when Mexico came under Spanish rule, pulque lost its sacred status and its consumption increased significantly.
In the XNUMXth century, pulque lost ground to beer, but now the Mexican government is trying to regain its former popularity.
Pulque is sometimes confused with mezcal, but they are very different drinks. Pulque is fermented agave juice, while mezcal is a distillate from fermented agave juice, and the raw materials for it first undergo heat treatment. In a very simplistic way, we can say that pulque is a mash for mezcal and tequila.
History
The history of the drink goes back at least 1000 years. Many legends are associated with its appearance. So, according to one of them, pulque is the blood of the goddess Mayahual agave. Another says that pulque invented the opossum, which obtained the juice of the agave, allowed it to ferment, and became the first in the world to experience intoxication.
Be that as it may, the first images of people drinking a sacred drink date back to the XNUMXnd century BC. AD After the Spanish conquest, pulque became available to everyone, especially since the Spaniards did not regulate its production in any way and were happy with such a stable source of taxes.
By 1672, the consumption of pulque had reached such proportions that it became dangerous for people’s health, and some restrictions had to be introduced. From that moment in Mexico City, pulque could only be served in 36 establishments, and they had to be located in an open space, have no doors and close at sunset. Also, in such “bars” it was impossible to sing, dance and serve men and women in the same room.
After Mexico gained independence in 1821, the consumption of traditional alcohol only increased, especially since the construction of the railways contributed to this. The peak of the popularity of the drink came at the end of the XNUMXth century, when both the rich and the poor were equally willing to drink pulque.
In the 10th century, a stream of European emigrants poured into Mexico, the country gained access to the international market, and pulque began to rapidly lose ground, giving way to beer and other European alcohol. Today, pulque accounts for only XNUMX% of all alcoholic beverages consumed in Mexico. Now fermented agave juice is associated mainly with poor areas and rural areas.
Pulque production technology
The production of pulque is quite labor intensive. First, the agave must mature for at least 12 years in order for its juice to be suitable for fermentation, which begins in the stem. Secondly, after the juice is collected from the plant, it dies.
The expressed juice is sent for fermentation – to start the fermentation process, a little ready-made pulque is added to it. After 1-2 weeks, the drink is ready, but the result depends on many factors: the temperature and humidity in the room and the quality of the raw materials. Mexicans even believe that the mood of the manufacturer, too.
In pre-colonial times, pulque makers abstained from sexual contact during the fermentation of the juice, as it was believed that this would spoil the taste of the drink.
Many superstitions are associated with the production of pulque: for example, children, women and strangers are not allowed to enter the room where fermentation takes place, it is also forbidden to eat canned fish and wear a hat there.
How to drink pulque
Most often, pulque is drunk in special bars – “pulquerias”. Such establishments are usually recognizable by their unusual names and mural-painted walls. In addition, the floor in them is often covered with sawdust – this is due to the old tradition of spilling a few drops of alcohol on the floor as an offering to Mother Earth.
Such pulquerias are more like closed clubs in which strangers are looked askance. Women are either not allowed there at all, or a separate area has been allocated for them. When the pulkria makes a fresh batch of pulque, she hangs a white flag over the door.
The drink is scooped from a common barrel in which fermentation takes place and served with ice. They drink pulque from special vessels with a handle: two-liter “flower pots”, a liter “guns”, half-liter “goats”. Glasses of 250 ml are called “dandies”, and 125 ml – “screws”. All these glasses are made of greenish glass and have a characteristic oblong shape.
Some manufacturers add fruits, nuts, or spices to pulque. This version is called “curado” (curado).
Pulque cannot be stored for a long time, so it is sent for sale even before fermentation is over, and drunk as fresh as possible.