MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana. (Entertainment, News, Cinema, Fashion, Celebrities, Ephemeris and more in Dorian’s Secrets)
- Dorian, April 6, 2021.
Images from: MULUK
From Náhuatl Mexcalli, “Pencas de Maguey Cocidos”, is an alcoholic beverage originating in the state of Oaxaca (Mexico), made from the distillation of the fermented juice of various species of Agave. This liquor has been not only a typical drink in Mexico, but also a great stimulant among the indigenous population.
The juice of the Creole chicken breast and that of 14 fruits is mixed with the distillation of the Maguey heart and creates a unique drink of its kind in Oaxaca. Soft, transparent, but with a fruity aroma and flavor, this is the Mezcal de Pechuga.
What is Mezcal Minero?
In Oaxaca, our grandparents said that the best Mezcal was the Minero, that’s what they called the white (young) Mezcal. Some said that it was called a miner because it contained minerals, another said that it was the Mezcal that the miners of Oaxaca drank. The truth is that the Mezcal Minero is the name of the Mezcal made in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca.
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
The Municipality of Santa Catarina Minas is located 40 km from the center of the City of Oaxaca and belongs to the District of Ocotlán de Morelos in the Central Valleys of the State. Its name is due to the devotion of Saint Catherine of Alexandria and to the fact that mines of various precious metals were exploited in the region during the viceroyalty. It is currently known as “La Cuna del Mezcal”.
Mezcal Minero: Elaboration Process
In most of the palenques (mezcal factories) of Santa Catarina Minas, the Mezcal Minero is made in an ancestral way. Although some palenques are no longer grinding by hand, but are doing it with electric harrowing machines, due to the demand for the drink and the health care of the Master Mezcalero’s assistants.
The process of making Mezcal Minero is as follows:
The maguey after being cooked in floor ovens and being cut with a machete, is mashed with maso in a canoe, that is, by hand or harrowing, then it is fermented in wooden drums and then it is distilled in clay pots which are made in Santa María Atzompa.
After two distillations, the famous Mining Mezcal is obtained, a name that legitimately belongs to those made in this municipality or municipalities that bear the term mines in their name.
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
Mezcalero Master: Los Magueyes of Santa Catarina Minas!
Here there are also endemic magueys of the region, some of them are the tripón maguey and barrel maguey that are of the karwinskii species and that in other regions they call them Cuishe. Here there is also the Cuixe, which is an agave of the Rodhacanta species.
How to get?
The town’s festival is on November 25 and is in honor of its patron Saint Catherine of Alexandria, there is music, a fair and a lot of Mezcal. So if you want to go around “La Cuna del Mezcal” you just have to take the road to Ocotlán de Morelos-Pto. Ángel and exit on the deviation that takes you to Ejutla and, later, take the deviation to Santa Catarina Minas in case of using collective transport.
The “Suburbans” (vans) leave in the street of Bustamante, esq. with Xóchitl in the Historic Center of Oaxaca that will take you to Ocotlán, reaching this town, ask the locals where the taxis to Santa Catarina Minas leave.
Some brands of Mezcal that are made in this region and that are for sale in various parts of the republic are: Real Minero, Del Maguey, Mina Real, Lalocura, El Revoltijo and Sacapalabras. Be sure to try them and live the experience of enjoying a true mining mezcal and see what our grandparents said in Oaxaca!
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
The Myth of Mezcal de Gusano!
For some months now, I have seen some digital postcards of mezcal brands circulating on social networks that say that the worm inside the Mezcal bottle is used to hide the taste of a bad Mezcal, which denotes the little mezcal culture they have said brands of this genuine Mexican drink.
The Maguey Worm:
The Maguey Worm actually grows on the roots of the maguey and some on the stalks, they are the larvae of the brown moths of the genus Agathymus and Megathymus.
Worm Mezcal:
In some states of the Mexican Republic they know it as: chilocuil, chinicuil or tecol. During the rainy season they gnaw on the stems and leaves, they are a pest for the maguey and it is fought by harvesting them towards the end of August.
They are eaten by cooking them alive on the comal or fried, they can be accompanied with guacamole and tortillas or sauces are also made. In Tula they make them with chili peppers and eggs, calling them “Huevos de albañil”, in Oaxaca they roast them, grind them by mixing them with salt and different chilies which they call “Sal de Gusano”.
Worm Harvest:
Maguey worms are part of pre-Hispanic gastronomy, as Toribio de Benavente, better known as Motolinía, tells in his History of the Indians of New Spain.
“In this metal or maguey, towards the roots, whitish worms grow, as thick as a bustard cannon and as long as half a finger, which toasted and with salt are very good to eat, I have eaten them many times on days fasting for lack of fish. “
The Worm and the Mezcal!
Mezcal is an emblematic product of Oaxaca and it was characterized by having a maguey worm in the bottle, that characteristic in addition to its strong flavor made it internationally famous and differentiated it from Tequila. Moreover, in Oaxaca there were 5 types of mezcal known: Mining mezcal, Tobalá mezcal, Gusano Mezcal, Pechuga Mezcal and those matured in barrels.
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
Types of Mezcal!
With the new rule that governs the production of Mezcal, the worm is considered a young Mezcal doomed and continues to be characteristic of Oaxaca as is the Mezcal from Guerrero doomed with the Damiana plant. But who came up with putting a worm in a Mezcal bottle?
The History of Mezcal de Gusano:
The custom of placing a worm in the bottle was born in the 1940s, as described in the book: “Mezcal, elixir of long life” edited by Carmen Valles Septién, where he narrates how Mr. Jacobo Lozano Paéz, originally from Parral, Chihuahua and a resident of Mexico City, after abandoning his vocation as a plastic artist for financial reasons, he began to work in a liquor store in Mexico City and later together with his wife, whom he met in the same place. , they begin to bottle Mezcal, bought from the Méndez family of Matatlán de Tlacolula, Oaxaca, putting a maguey worm as a distinctive to differentiate it from Tequila, becoming a prosperous bottler of this drink and proclaiming himself an expert connoisseur of the Mezcal production process .
So at no time was it done to disguise a bad taste of Mezcal as some brands are spreading on their social networks.
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
The Mezcales Abocados:
The doomed is a tradition in several communities in Mexico where Mezcal is made, some make it with medicinal plants and others do it with fruits as “digestives” and others even as “aphrodisiacs” by placing scorpions and vipers.
Without a doubt, the worm flavor is a very strong and characteristic flavor, which can stand out more than the natural flavors of Mezcal, but that does not mean that the Mezcal has turned out bad and that for that reason they put the worm on it. Do not be fooled that it is a bad Mezcal, it just adds one more flavor. What is certain is that there will be who likes it and who does not.
It is worth mentioning that not in all the communities of Oaxaca you will find Mezcal con Gusano. This practice is mainly focused on Santiago Matatlán. As I mentioned previously, it was a form of differentiation with Tequila that helped to place Mezcal in the national gaze at the time.
Last but not least, the flavored or fruity Mezcal: only fruits are added to the natural mezcal and it is left to ferment so that the fruit releases its honey and thus incorporates the flavor of the mezcal and the fruit, taking an exquisite flavor.
Muluk arrives in Havana!
MULUK has embarked on an International trip leaving Mexico and making its first stop in Havana, Cuba. Its authentic and unique flavor began by conquering the palate and also the heart of the capital’s inhabitants, spreading to all the Cities and Provinces of the country.
The Plaza de las Palomas, an iconic place in the Historic Center of Havana, witnessed his first shots and a total uproar from everyone present. Even the Knight of Paris himself seemed to walk hand in hand with two of his presentations!
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana
Don’t miss out on the authentic flavors of Mexican Mezcal with MULUK!
- Dorian, April 6, 2021.
Images from: MULUK
MULUK: The Authentic Taste of Mexican Mezcal arrives in Havana.(Entertainment, News, Cinema, Fashion, Celebrities, Ephemeris and more in Dorian’s Secrets)
