Mexican Mole Sauce, Nuns, Archbishops and Holy Grail

Next to Mescal, I would say mole ("mole-lay") is Mexico's best kept food/drink secret.  But the word is spreading.  Mole is now sold in my local supermarket here in Canada.  Here's a nice post from Mexico Today, all about mole and religion (or, at least why some people get so religious about mole!):

Mole: The Delicious Quest

I love mole. I think it’s heavenly. In fact my plan was to use the title, “Holy Mole,” for this story, but Chef Rick Bayless, the renown American chef of Mexican cuisine, beat me to it. I suspect he feels the same way I do about mole. It’s an appropriate title for a number of reasons, but before I get into that I should probably start with first things first.

One of the great mysteries of the world is why a dish so common and beloved in Mexico should be so little known in the United States.  By any measurement Mexican food is a smashing success in the U.S. Ask any American about tacos, enchiladas, tostadas and he can tell you about them.  But mole’s fate up to now has been less certain.

What is Mole? (Moe Lay)

Part of the reason mole hasn’t made the same impact in the US as other Mexican foods is it’s a little hard to define, although you certainly know it when you see it.  It always includes chiles. Most folks, though not all, agree it’s a sauce. I’ve never been served a bowl of mole by itself, it always enhances something. Many exotic locales in Mexico claim its origin and mole can be vastly different, especially from region to region. In fact mole isn’t just one thing, there are many moles.

The most famous moles come from Puebla and Oaxaca.  In Puebla, mole poblano, as it is known, is a rich, dark, spicy, sweet, sour, nutty, and savory sauce that can be made from upwards of 30 ingredients like onions, tomatoes, and chiles, but also raisins, almonds, fennel seeds, tortillas, and chocolate to name a few.  Traditionally it is served with turkey, but commonly it’s served over chicken or even vegetables.  Certain mole types are served with fish.  In Oaxaca, at least six distinct types of mole are identified mostly by their colors-such as colorado or red and verde or green-which reflect differences in ingredients.

Another likely reason moles are rarer in the US is they are difficult to make and even more to perfect.  Just the number of ingredients makes mole a labor of love. But in addition, getting the ingredients right isn’t enough, the proper roasting, frying, straining, simmering, and cooking of the ingredients is critical to a successful mole, so just adding them all to the pot won’t work.

I suspect another reason moles have been slow to spread in the States is it may have been difficult, until very recently, to simply find each and every ingredient folks needed to make mole the way their mamas did back home.

So Why Holy Mole?

Well, first it’s just so divinely yummy, and the best moles give the same type of pleasure the complexity of well-aged wines do!  Then there’s the legend.  Growing up in Mexico, popular legend had it that the poor nuns at the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla prayed for help in providing a meal to the visiting archbishop. After praying about it they basically threw everything at the problem, save for the kitchen sink-spices, fruit, nuts, chiles, vegetables, chocolate- and it was a hit.

Lastly, and more to the point, the best moles, with their complexity, depth, richness, and exotic, roasted flavors are just heavenly, which means searching far and wide throughout Mexico for my favorite is like the quest for the Holy Grail. It’s all about the delicious journey.

¡Buen Provecho!

If you would like to see or even test your culinary chops on a yummy, traditional mole recipe from Puebla, here’s a link to a post by one of my Mexico Today colleagues, Brad Johnson, who shares his favourite mole recipe from a restaurant in Puebla.

Most importantly, here are some mole festivals; if you happen to be in any of these areas, do go and explore the wonderful world of mole:

And here are a few leads in your quest for Mole, both in the US and Mexico:

• In Puebla, The International Mole Festival is aimed at foodies, tourists, cooking professionals, and students from the more than 20 culinary schools in Puebla. English and Spanish simultaneous translation will be available. Look for it near May 5th each year.
• In San Pedro Atocpan, the National Mole Festival (Feria Nacional del Mole) in October, from the community where reportedly 60% of the mole consumed in Mexico is now made.
• In Los Angeles, CA, La Feria de los Moles (The Festival of Moles) takes place on Olvera Street and continues growing each year.  This year is the 5th annual event and takes place on October 7th, 2012.  Check out www.feriadelosmoles.com for more details.
• In Querétaro, the Feria del Mole y Tortilla (The Mole and Tortilla Festival) occurs in July.
• In Coatepec de Morelos, Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Feria de Mole (Mole Festival) in April.
• In Chicago, the 4th annual mole cook-off and street festival entitled Mole de Mayo took place on May 26th-27th and takes place in May each year.

 (Thanks to the Mexico Report for the link!)

Valladolid, A Mayan Colonial Town

The Main Church in Valladolid

I spent this New Years in the town of Valladolid, about 2.5 hours inland from here, not far from the ruins of Chichen Itza.  The town is a classic old colonial Mexican town, with beautiful sites to see like old churches and convents.  The town square is also very picturesque.

While central Mexico has a much larger number of charming towns to visit, Valladolid is unique in the fact that it's not only colonial but also Mayan - not Mayan as in having dancers wearing large bird and animal masks and pretending to carry out long dead rituals for American tourists, but Mayan as in Mayan people actually live there.  While Yucatec Spanish (distinct from "normal" Mexican Spanish from the central area) is the most common language, you can also hear Mayan spoken in the streets and homes if you walk around a little.  It's rather un-romantic and quite contrary to the image of "Mayans" given for tourists as some sort of ancient mystics, since these are just common people living in run down colonial homes (small, one-story buildings with ornate facades that haven't been kept up in years - at least out side of the central tourist area), half-built concrete homes or even huts built out of wooden poles. I like both sides of Valladolid.

A older home, in the residential part of town

There's a restaurant in town that serves traditional food for the area, and is located right next to a "cenote" which is a large, natural pool of water at the entrance to the underground cave and water network.  It's beautiful because you can have a view of the cave and water while you eat, and then go for a dip in the water - it's very refreshing.

I also like going to Valladolid because there I can get hand-made sandals with car-tire soles for about $12.  People sell them right out of their workshops, which look similar to the old home pictured in this post.  They last me about 2 years - a good bit longer than most footwear.

This was my second trip to Valladolid, and I plan to go back. It's a nice, relaxing place to visit.

A picturesque colonial street in the town centre

My 2 sons and I walking down into the cenote (baby in my arms)

A view over the water of the cenote

Baby and wife

Our son playing in the pool at the hotel

Saint Death - A Uniquely Mexican (and Strange) Phenomenon

A Saint Death Figure For Sale In a Store

"Saint Death" seems to be a  primarily Mexican phenomenon, although I have recently been informed that there is a "San la Muerte" in Argentina.  The following of "Saint Death" is not tied specifically to any one other Mexican cultural feature, but rather a hodge-podge of several of the most important ones.  Saint Death is a unofficial sub-cult (sub-cult because it seems have many individual followers from various other religions, without being an official part of any of them - although it seems to be trying to emerge as an official religion). Adherents worship Death as cult object, or at least (much more commonly) ask it for favours as a saint.  Saint Death is almost invariably represented by a grim-reaper like statue of just about any size (I've seen key-chains and human-size statues,) but it can also be portrait.  People will ask Saint Death for many things, ranging from money, to a husband, to protection while working the night shift, to success in a crime they're about to commit.

Before saying much else there are some very, very important things to note about the cult of Saint Death:

This is not officially accepted or tolerated by Catholicism.  (Originally I said "in no way Catholic" but some one pointed out that that statement is "tendentious.") The Catholic Church of Mexico has officially condemned the cult as satanism, and teaches that even the least committed adherence is unacceptable. (Out of pure curiosity,  I consulted a Catholic deacon, and confirmed it on the internet.)   This is very confusing since the part that is trying to emerge as an official religion actually has rites which are based on the Catholic liturgy; one group actually calls itself "catholic."  Even more confusing is that many members of the real Catholic Church ignorantly keep Saint Death icons thinking that it is a legitimate saint.  These last two reasons specifically brought the Catholic Church in Mexico to condemn the cult; it doesn't have strong enough presence in the U.S. yet to have brought any official statement from U.S. bishops.

It is definitely not Protestant or any other Christian group.  Most protestants in Mexico will be very quick to condemn this kind of superstition.  For the reasons mentioned above, many think that it's one of Catholicisms many faults.  But here's a dark little secret: my mother-in-law believes that her father, my wife's grandfather, who is a staunch convert to Protestantism  (which is supposed to mean opposition to all of Mexico's superstitions) is hiding a little figure of Saint Death in his bedroom, hoping it will help him discover the gold from the Mexican Revolution he's certain is buried in his land. I'm sure his pastor doesn't know about that one ...

(See Looking for a pot of Gold? Perhaps a heart of Gold? Grandpa Pedro, Part 2)

Saint Death, With Fake U.S. Bills and Canadian Coins

It's predominantly working class.  Like the "curse of the eye" bracelets , this is a superstition with a very strong following in the working class, and seems to cross religious, regional and lifestyle borders withing the working class.  Although, from my experience, it seems to be much more urban than rural.  (So, it could be that my wife's grandfather, living out in the isolated hills, really doesn't know what it is; he says someone gave it to him for good luck.  Although this doesn't justify his hiding it.)  The main altars for Saint Death (yes, there are public altars - they are centered around the statue figures seen above) are located in Mexico City, with the most famous one in the very poor downtown community of Tepito, which is also the city's largest street market, a great place for everything cheap, stolen and illegal.  That one is dressed as a bride. It's the only public altar I've seen, although numerous others exist.

(Compare:The Curse of the Eye, and The Morning Edition - Exotic Mexico)

It's not associated with the original Day of the Dead Celebration.  As with Catholicism, followers of Saint Death have integrated traditional elements of Day of the Dead into their rites, and even have a special celebration on Nov. 1, which is the first Day of the Dead.  But from what I understand, the Day of the Dead celebration is in honour of the souls of friends and relatives who have passed away, and does not celebrate "death" as a element in itself.  I think that the Day of the Dead can be celebrated in accordance with Catholic beliefs, but I still have to check both the Catholic and Protestant view of this celebration.  In any case, most people who celebrate don't make any connection to "Saint Death," unless they are already followers.  ( Click here to read more about the Day of the Dead)

Most people who worship or adore Saint Death do so in secret. For this reason, I've seen very few people with their little figures.  I have seen some in buses or taxis.  As noted above, the open following of Saint Death is becoming more common.

A "Natural Store" Selling a Bazaar (but common) Combination of Items

One very strange feature of these figures is that they are sold in "Health Food Stores" - "Tiendas Naturistas."  These stores are not like the vegan hippie shops up in Canada or the U.S.  They don't sell TVP, soy-milk, natural peanut butter or quinoa; in Mexico, quinoa is sold as a candy rather than a health food. Rather they sell a supply of natural remedies (tree barks, leaves, seeds, etc.), along side ingredients for common spiritualism (or "witch craft" if you like,) superstitious objects (like the anti-curse-of-the-eye "deer's eye" bracelets), items for the Day of the Dead (when in season), Catholic icons and images, and Saint Death statues.   This very strange mix also makes the confusions mentioned above difficult to unravel, and strengthens the perceived connection between all of these things in the eye of the common public; thus my emphasis on the lack of a real bilateral connection between Saint Death and anything else found in those stores, except perhaps the superstition items; I don't believe, that most of its adherents even practice any sort of witch craft, although I could be wrong.

This is one of those Mexican things closely tied to superstition, and verging on being its own brand of spiritualism; it probably hits rock-bottom on the list of Mexican cultural features I would actually want to participate in.  Although it would be pretty hard to convince me to put one of those evil-eye bracelets on my child as well, I could see myself buying one of the bracelets just as a specimen to show people (not to use); on the other hand, I don't think I could find a place in all my curiosity for a Saint Death figure, even as a specimen.  It is, however, a very interesting and unique cultural phenomenon.

What I've written here is based primarily my personal experience, and is, for that reason, quite incomplete. For more in-depth and better researched information, see Arturo Vasquez's posts in his blog "Reditus":

http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/tag/santa-muerte/
http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/tag/folk-catholicism/

For information about "San La Muerte" in Argentina, read:

http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/san-la-muerte/

Tepache - A Fermented Pineapple Drink

Tepache, in Tacubaya (from Wikimedia Commons, user Thelmadatter)

Tepache is a traditional fermented pineapple drink popular in some areas of Mexico. As seen in the picture, it is a reddish colour.  It is still fairly sweet, and only mildly fermented - perhaps similar to that of a milder traditional fermented apple ciders.  (Not the Strongbow's sort, but the actual raw apple juice naturally fermented.)

The place where I have had it most often is in a small group of flauta shops in the Tacubaya neighborhood of Mexico City.

Flautas are tortillas, rolled up with a little meat in the middle, fried until crispy and brittle; they are served with lettuce and sauce on top of them, and, in the case of these shops in Tacubaya, with tepache.

Tacubaya is mostly a working class neighbourhood, and it's the end of one of the major subway lines, thus also serving as a major bus and transportation terminal.  On Sunday afternoons, many young adults from villages to the west of Mexico City (approx. 1 hr away) come to Tacubaya, hang out in what's sort of a village square, and enjoy the dining and shopping of this vibrant neighborhood, all of which is really, really cheap (I got a pair of New Balance running shoes there for $40 - originals!)  The neighborhood is in no way pretty or picturesque, but has a charm that only a place that has been given over entirely to practicality of the city and has been "discovered" only by those who need it's cheapness and complete lack of pretentiousness.  It was one of the original Aztec villages that was in alliance with Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) when the Spaniards arrived at the time of the conquest.

So, needless to say, the flauta shops are also really cheap.  If I remember correctly, the flautas are sold 3 for 50 cents, and the tall glass of Tepache seen in the picture is also about 50 cents.  So, with $2, you'll be doing quite well in this place.  (This is why I was surprised when I moved to Playa del Carmen from Mexico City, and realized that here, even with $10, you're better off staying home.  One of the biggest charms of Mexico City is that you can go out with less than a dollar to your name and have a great time.)

Vats of Tepache in Tacubaya (from Wikimedia Commons, user Thelmadatter)

I found tepache once in Playa del Carmen. The fruit and vegetable store where we normally shop (the same one that had those wonderful tamales being sold in front of it, see xxx), sells fresh fruit juices at about 60 cents a glass.  One day they had tepache as one of the choices. Although this doesn't really count as "fresh fruit juice," I was delighted and had a glass.  I've never found it since.  One of these days I'll ask them for it.

If you're in Mexico City, I highly recommend trying tepache.  It's easier to find, and easier to take down than pulque.  I'm sure there are many other places to try great tepache as well.

To read about pulque, another traditional Mexican drink, read:

My Mexico City Experience - Pulque

A note about the pictures: they are not my pictures, but they are from Wikimedia commons (with a shareable license) and the person who took and posted them noted that they are from Tacubaya; I also recognize the place.

The Morning Edition - Exotic Mexico

I was just taking a look at the most popular stories in my blog, and the top 2, outnumbering the 3rd and 4th places by 2-4 times as many visits have to do with items very unique to Mexico's distinct culture:

• The Curse of the Eye - This has been #1, almost doubling #2, and tells about a very, very popular superstition in Mexico, and how to protect children against it.  While supposedly it's the "Catholics" who are more superstitious (in quotation marks, since these beliefs are in now way officially Catholic or approved by that church), recently an Evangelical mother visited me her newborn baby, and I caught a glimpse of deer's eye bracelet on the baby; if the Catholic Church disapproves, Evangelical Churches even more so; I find this paradox hard to wrap my mind around ...

• My Mexico City Experience - Pulque - #2 has also doubled #3 in popularity.  This is a traditional fermented drink, dating back to Aztec times, made from the same plant as Tequila.  Originally it was a sacred drink, and now it belongs to the rural working class.

Another post about the dangers of being caught unawares by a beautiful Mexican WARNING: Mexico is DANGEROUS! Do not come here - unless ... is also very popular, with another one about illegal immigration, Illegal Immigration - An Alternative Approach, being fairly well liked.  The top 5 are rounded off by one completely unrelated to Mexico, about my wife's luck with technology, Have you ever flushed your phone down the toilet?

Judging by the high popularity of the "exotic" theme, and because I really do like these topics, I'm soon going do another post or two on related topics; one will be about "tepache," a fermented pineapple drink, the other will be about "Saint Death" - a saint sub-cult focused on a grim-reaper like figure.

The Beauty of not Knowing the Time

Starting in the late afternoon, I had 3 different appointments today.  After each one ended, I went to the place of the next one, and waited for it to begin.  Not once during the entire evening was I aware of the exact time; I could guess the approximate time by the setting sun and the beginning of each appointment; since Mexicans aren't very punctual, the second point counts for little.

I didn't have a watch on, and I had left my cell phone with my wife.  (She lost hers, and we're still waiting to buy a new one; see Have you ever flushed your phone down the toilet? )

Nor at any given point was it necessary to ask the time or even try to guess.  I only found out the time when I arrived home and realized it was a full hour earlier than I guessed just before entering the door.

I did hurry home; but that was because I was tired and I wanted to see my family; I knew they would all be sound asleep, but I still wanted to see them. There was no pressure from the numbers on a clock.

At one point, on the bus home, I became aware of my lack of knowledge of the time, and the lack of need for  it.  I felt in awe.  It wasn't so much not knowing the time that was beautiful, but more not needing to know the time, and for briefly, not even being aware that you don't know the time or don't need to.

It's like being in a place where there is no electricity - and I don't mean turning the lights off;  I mean no electric current or power source anywhere nearby, above the ground or under it.  Electricity has a light humming, even when all your own lights and appliances are off.  It's impossible to identify that humming when you live in it.  Then one day you arrive to a place where there is no electricity, and the unidentifiable lack of that unaudible humming first haunts you like you are in a strange fantasy world, then overwhelms you with its beauty.  That is true silence.


I felt that way about the time today.  It's the lack of it's ever-present existence in your mind that makes it wonderful.

---


"Heaven is a place where everything that is not music is silence." - George MacDonald (I believe I got the quotation from C.S. Lewis)

Tepoztlan, "Where UFOs and Witches Live Happily Together"

Typical home with the church's steeple (photo by Cecilia Marquez)

One of my favorite villages that I've been to is Tepoztlan, the village where I got married, near Cuernavaca, just south of Mexico City.  Part of the reason why we chose it for our wedding is that its very traditional, with little adobe homes, delicious restaurants, a very typical central market, and a beautiful view of steep, green hillside behind it.

It was also one of my first images of Mexico; when we had just met through a friend on the internet, my wife sent me a postcard and some pictures of the market.

The town is officially recognized as the Mexican government as a "Magic Town."  But there's something more "magical" about this town.  Up on the hilltop there is a small pyramid, overlooking the village.  It can be accessed by walking up a path that winds back and forth through a narrow cleft in the hillside.

People who live up near the hillside will report strange events near their homes at night - sounds, lights, ghostly figures and voices.

Many residents claim that they have seen UFOs up above the pyramid at night.

During the numerous visits I made during the year I lived in Cuernavaca, I never noticed anything strange.  But I was never near the hill at night. I stayed in a little room in the garden where we had our wedding, near the edge of town the nights before and after, but I didn't pay much attention to the hill.

A friend of my wife's (actually her boss, whom I mentioned in my first post about coffee, Coffee, Wonderful Coffee!) lived near the foot of the hill for a while and told us of a few such occurrences.

Me at Tepozteco - the pyramid on the hill

Because of this very reputation, my wife, who knew the town well before she met me, wrote on the back of he first post card she sent me, "This is Tepoztlan, where UFO's and witches live happily together."  Not a bad introduction to the town's reputation.

My experience has a lot more to do with delicious quesadillas, relaxing walks through the town streets, sitting in the town square listening to traditional music, and, last, but certainly not least, my wedding in the wonderful old church.  More to come on Tepoztlan.

To read more about places travel, try these:

The Day of the Dead - Different Traditions throughout Mexico
WARNING: Mexico is DANGEROUS! Do not come here - unless ..
A Different Kind of Beachfront Town - My Visit to Progreso
 Grandpa's Farm in The Isolated Hills of Mexico State - Part 1, The First Visit
New Hostel for Mexico City - Restored Colonial Building Downtown
Where's your adventurous spirit?

The Curse of the Eye

"Mal de Ojo" -  "The Curse of the Eye" or "The Evil Eye"

I guess to start, I should explain that the title of this post is a translation - an exaggerated translation - of a phrase in Spanish is very difficult into English, primarily because the idea is so foreign to English-speaking cultures.

Let me start with a story.  One day, a month or two after my first son was born, we went to visit her cousin. My wife went upstairs immediately to use the washroom, and her cousin noticed that the baby was fussing.

"I think he got hot in the street.  Do you clean him?" she asked as I tried to calm the baby down.

"Well, yes," I explained, thinking that I understood the question. "At least once a day, and sometimes more often when it's really hot."

"Do you clean him?"

"Usually my wife does," I continued.  "Sometimes I just take him into the shower."

"No - that's not what I mean.  Do you clean him - I mean, with an egg?"

I obviously looked confused, so she explained.  "Do you clean him from 'mal del ojo,' using an egg?  Sometimes when a baby is in the street, they get 'mal de ojo,' and it heats their blood up.  You have to clean them with an egg to take it away and calm them down."

Now I remembered: "I don't because I don't know how.  I have to get someone else to do it."  I had vaguely heard of the idea before

So, she proceeded to take an egg out of her cupboard, rub the baby's body and head with it.  She then cracked it into cup of water, examined the water, and discarded it.  He had calmed down by that point, so, the antidote had worked.

Later, my wife explained in more detail.  From what I understand, "mal del ojo," occurs when somebody sees another person - especially a child - has the desire to touch that child, and refrains from doing so, thus leaving themselves with a sort of anxiety. (In Mexico it is common enough just to touch a child which they think is cute, adorable, etc.  It is also common to touch the belly of a pregnant woman; in both cases, it doesn't matter if you know the other person or not.)  This "anxiety" causes the child that they saw to get "mal de ojo." ("Anxiety" is not the best translation, but the concept as a whole kind of lacks words that work well in English, since we don't have anything like this idea.)


"Mal de ojo" manifests itself - again, from my limited understanding - as kind of a feverish sickness that leaves the child hot, uncomfortable and whiny.  So, when children enter a home off the street, and are hot and cranky, it is almost 100% certain that someone had a desire to touch them, and didn't.  (Personally, I suspect the heat of the Mexican sun, combined with the mountain of blankets that people put on their infants at any time of year has much more to do with it, but what do I know.)  You can usually identify who/when it was, because you remember someone looking at the child.  If the person who "cleanses" the child with an egg is the same person who had the desire to touch them, it works better.  The child can also be cleaned by other methods, including sweaty clothes - I've never actually seen anyone do this, but I've heard and read about it.

When you crack the egg into water, the white leaves a "tail" streaming upwards; this tail contains the "mal" or "evil" from the mishap, indicating that it has been drawn out of the child.  This is what my wife's cousin was looking for.

A bracelet with a "deer's eye" to ward off "mal de ojo"

Apparently, "mal del ojo" can occur with people of other ages as well, but children are far more susceptible, (since it's more common to see a child you think is adorable, I guess.)  This is part of the reason why, in public many people will come and touch your child after they see them and make some comment about how cute they are; sometimes (but not always) they are trying to prevent "mal de ojo."  The other reason is that Mexican people are just a lot more touchy-feely.

You can also protect a child against "mal de ojo" by means of a red bracelet with a seed called a "deer's eye" on it.

I'm not a superstitious person, so I don't believe this really happens.  My wife, who is also not superstitious, generally, was actually convinced by her relatives to buy a bracelet and keep it on our child for a few months.

Many Mexicans, however, don't even see this as a superstition; it's simply a fact of what happens, and how you have to deal with it.  I once brought it up in an English class I was teaching, in which the theme was "superstitions," and several students were surprised that I lumped this together with four-leafed clovers and broken mirrors in credibility; everybody knew about it, much better than me, but no one had named it when we were listing superstitions.  Needless to say, by no means do all Mexicans believe in it.  There are plenty of non-superstitious and skeptical Mexicans.  There is a definite link to social class, but I have come across some surprising exceptions.

On the other hand, who am I say that it's not true?  Maybe in some sense beyond my understanding it actually does happen. Who knows.

Translation notes: The exaggerated translation for the title (together with the Eye of Sauron image from The Lord of the Rings) was meant to catch your attention, but the only other translation I've seen "Evil Eye," normally means something else in English, so I can't really think of a better way to translate it anyway.  The more correct translation for "limpiar" in this case would be "cleanse" and not "clean;" but since it is the same word in Spanish, which caused part of my confusion, I translated it with "clean."

(By the way, the first time I heard about "mal de ojo" I couldn't help but to imagine the Eye of Sauron.  No real connection, just my imagination.)

I don't really have any other posts about superstitions, but I have a few about religion, which is not really related, but something else to read.

(Update Feb 24, 2011: I just put up a post about Saint Death, a similarly wide-spread superstition with an almost cult-like following.  See Saint Death - A Uniquely Mexican (and Strange) Phenomenon)

My Mexico City Experience - Pulque

My experience from the drink called pulque is a direct result of the fact that I had a rather different introduction to Mexico City.

Tourists to Mexico City will see a number of the "usual" sites - the Zocalo (the main city square), the historic downtown, the pyramids of Teotihuacan, the Bellas Artes art gallery, and the canals at Xochimilco, with guided boat tours are a few examples of the most common, and are all very well worth the visit. However, as one friend of mine pointed out, two people could live their entire life in the city with almost no significant overlap in the places they know, things they see and communities they visit.  Mexico City is the second most populous metropolitan area in the world (after Tokyo) and I'm sure this is true of most of the world's mega cities.  I was fortunate enough to have the experience of being a part of 2 multi-day tours by two such people, whose lives in Mexico City had very little overlap.

Extracting the sap from an agave plant

One part of one of the tours (given by the same friend who made that observation) was my first experience with the drink called pulque. Pulque is an ancient drink made of the agave plant - the large, spiky plant that looks like a giant aloe vera.  It is slightly fermented, but not distilled. Tequila is made from another type of the same plant.  Pulque was made by the Aztecs and other tribes in the area.  Some people say it was a sacred drink.  One tequila-like liquor called mezcal, which has a stronger oak-like flavor, may have been made before the Spanish Conquest.  Tequila, in any case, was a distilled drink developed during colonial times, based on these original drinks.

The drink has a milky colour and varies in texture from as runny as milk to as thick as a milk shake.  It's flavor is rather sour, and can be a little harsh at first.  I was lucky enough to try in it in a place where they mixed it with fruit juices, making it much easier to drink.

The bar itself was an interesting experience.  My friend was quick to point out to me that Mexico City is generally not a good place to try pulque, which is produced at a better quality in the small towns in the surrounding areas.  But this bar was one of the few with good quality.  The bar was located on a small, stone-paved side road in a working class community in the south of city (I believe it was in the borough called Tlalpan), and there were only men inside, (and one cross-dresser who was raising a bit of ruckus between two groups of guests.)  The washroom was a trough at the back, sectioned off by a screen.  While I take pride in the fact that I don't shy away from most experiences, I have to admit that I may not have gone into the place if I hadn't been with this friend of mine.

Serving pulque into a clay cup

Since it was mixed with fruit juice, the pulque tasted good.  The texture took some getting used to since it was the thick kind, but I did fine with about two litres - or at least I thought I did.  What I didn't fully realize, despite my friend's warnings, was that the effects of pulque are delayed.  Two hours later my stomach was rumbling, and it felt like it was turning loops inside of me.  At this point we were back home, and I slept soundly for the next few hours!

The next time I had pulque was at my wedding.  My wife, who is Mexican, and was my other tour guide on my initial visit to Mexico City, has uncles who live in the surrounding towns and make their own pulque.  This time it was thinner with a milder flavor, but no fruit juice to go with it.  I definitely drank some, but less than two litres!

So, if you get a chance to visit a smaller community in the center in Mexico (or you have the fortune and the courage to visit a bar like I did - make sure you go with a friend who knows the place and knows its culture) I suggest trying pulque.  Don't expect to like it - at least not on the first cup full.  But finish it if you can, and I'm sure by then you'll be ready for the second cup.

To read about another traditional fermented Mexican drink, read:

Tepache - A Fermented Pineapple Drink