Pulque, one of the least understood alcoholic beverages in all Mexico, is the fermented liquid of a variety of agave or maguey succulent known generically as the pulquero. It has a history in the southern state of Oaxaca, dating much earlier than Oaxaca’s more famous agave derivative, mezcal (also known as mescal). Cultivation of the pulquero agave and production of pulque in Oaxaca appear to be diminishing, indeed unfortunate since pulque, like mezcal, has been a green, organic, environmentally friendly and sustainable living industry for hundreds of years – in the case of pulque, since pre-Hispanic times.
Mezcal and Pulque in Oaxaca, Mexico, Compared: Brief Summary for the Novice
Mezcal is produced from a number of varieties of agave, though commercial production utilizes almost exclusively agave espadín. The traditional method of production begins with harvesting the espadín after 8 – 10 years of growth. The heart or pina of the plant is baked in an in-ground oven over firewood and rocks, and then crushed. The fibrous mash is fermented with the addition of water, usually in pine vats, for as much as couple of weeks. The fermented product is then distilled. Mezcal drips from the spigot, usually ready for sale after a second distillation. Often mezcal is aged or otherwise has its character altered to produce resposado, añejo, pechuga, gusano, herbal varieties, and sweet mezcals called cremas.
Most investigators believe that distillation of fermented baked agave began after the arrival of the Spanish in Oaxaca in 1521, although at least one study supports the proposition that indigenous peoples of Mexico were distilling before the conquest.
By contrast, there is no doubt that imbibing pulque was a pre-Hispanic tradition. It continues today throughout much of Mexico. Pulque is not “transformed into mezcal,” and mezcal is not “distilled pulque,” as at least one author has suggested. Mezcal is produced by fermenting and then distilling the crushed, baked heart of the agave. Pulque, on the other hand, is produced by simply fermenting aguamiel, or “honey water.”
The pulquero agave matures after about 12 to 20 years. At that time a stock begins to appear from the middle of the plant (the manner in which reproduction begins). A well is carved out from that part of the agave. It’s then covered to protect it from insects and small rodents getting inside. Over the course of the next 10 – 12 hours the well fills with liquid, aguamiel. The aguamiel is removed, and the well is scraped a bit wider and deeper, then once again covered and left for several hours. The process is repeated, usually twice daily, for two to four months, depending on the size of the plant and other factors. As the natural yeasts from the environment interact with the aguamiel, it turns into pulque; fermentation actually begins within minutes of removing the aguamiel from the well of the pulquero. Nothing could be more natural.
Pulque as a Green, Organic and Sustainability Living Industry in Oaxaca
Siblings Juana and Isaac Mateo, pulque producers in Matatlán, Oaxaca, have been growing pulqueros and making pulque their entire adult lives, having learned from their father, Aurelio. Today their spouses assist in the operation, at times with the help of their children. A visit to the fields with family members and ensuing discussion reveals the green, organic and sustainable nature of the family business.
Baby agave plants (produced from stocks which are allowed to shoot up, flower, and yield tiny plants) are usually planted in small fields, often alongside family homesteads where they can be tended on a regular basis, meaning watered. Once transplanted after a year or two of growth, they’re basically on their own. Transplanting into regular fields in the countryside is best achieved as the rainy season approaches. If this procedure is followed, the pulqueros need no watering until maturity, 10 – 18 years later.
Sometimes the agave fields are weeded, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Occasionally abono, natural fertilizer from the excrement of cattle, sheep, goats, etc, is used to stimulate growth. In the case of the Mateo family, while Isaac acknowledges that fertilizing at least twice a year is best, their own animals produce only enough abono for about once a year. They use exclusively natural fertilizer first and foremost to maintain 100% organic pulque, and secondly because chemical fertilizer is expensive.
The broad, succulent leaves of the pulquero serve multiple functions after being removed during aguamiel harvesting and once the plant is no longer productive. They are used as compost or mulch, dried and employed as fuel for cooking, and utilized in traditional recipes such as in the preparation of barbacoa – goat, sheep or beef ritualistically baked in an in-ground oven. The stock can also be dried and used as fuel. Some families use the stocks to make “log” cabins, enduring decades if encased with cement. Even the scrapings from inside the well are not wasted. They can be used as chicken feed.
Once the heart of the plant can no longer be used to produce aguamiel, it can be removed from the ground and utliized to produce mezcal, although the effort is usually not worth the trouble since most of the nutritional value of the plant has already been extracted.
Repercussions of Declining Pulque Industry
The waning popularity of Pulque in Oaxaca spells the loss of a sustainable Industry and a natural product. In Oaxaca it’s often stated that drinking pulque every morning is good for the blood. Of course, as is the case with other plant material consumed by indigenous peoples, there are a myriad of other health benefits attributed to regular ingestion of pulque.
But a fermented liquid which is good for body and soul, and at the same time represents a green industry, does not necessarily spell profitability sufficient to warrant continued production.
Juana and Isaac continue to produce pulque for sale from their homes in Matalán, and in the weekly markets in Ocotlan and Tlacolula. But production is waning. Their fields are producing smaller plants than before, and demand for pulque is dissipating. They no longer have stalls at the weekly markets at Ejutla or Zaachila as they did a few years ago. It’s indeed a sign of sad times when the continued viability of a sustainable, organic and environmentally friendly industry in Oaxaca, Mexico, such as pulque production, is threatened.
Alvin Starkman - Alvin Starkman runs Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast. He is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today (http://www.mexicotoday.org).
