Tequila!
The array of bottles is impressive, their contents finely tuned to varied tastes. But they all share the same roots in Mesoamerica's natural bounty and human culture. The drink is tequila—more properly, mescal de tequila, the first mescal to be codified and recognized by its geographic origin and the only one known internationally by that name. In ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History, Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata, the leading agronomist in Mexico's tequila industry, and Gary Paul Nabhan, one...
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The leading agronomist in Mexico's tequila industry and a Yankee ethnobotanist introduce the natural history, economics, and cultural significance of the agave plants cultivated for the production of the popular drink, properly known as mescal de tequila. They have not indexed their work. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Publishers Weekly Mexican botanist Valenzuela-Zapata and MacArthur Fellow Nabhan eruditely examine Agave angustifolia tequilana, the blue agave, from its place in Meso-American tradition and Mexican pop history to the perils facing the succulent plant from monoculture and big agro. Quoting from Aztec scripts, scholarly research and even Malcolm Lowry's novel Under the Volcano, the authors discuss the "man-agave symbiosis" in Jalisco, Mexico (tequila's home state), and detail the process of tequila production, from harvest to roasting, fermentation and final distillation. Four appendixes (including a "Mescalero's Lexicon" and a "species description of cultivated agave species historically used in the tequila industry") support the brief main text, while photos depict agave harvest and tequila production. While discussing the plant's most famous product, the authors balance biological savvy with a connoisseur's appreciation of tequila, noting the drink's ubiquitousness (70 distilleries produce over 400 brands). Valenzuela-Zapata's taxonomic interest in agave only occasionally hampers a lyrical writing style and an evident fondness for agave plants. Citations on nearly every page, however, might put off general readers. Most intriguingly, the authors recount the mid-1990s epidemic of agave disease, which resulted in a worldwide tequila shortage and sky-rocketing prices. They lament the loss of traditional cultivation methods, as well as clonal propagation of the plants. Today almost all Jalisco blue agave are genetically nearly identical and very vulnerable to pests. No mere bar room reference, this heady blend of agricultural history, Mescalero anthropology, Aztec mythology and nature writing is an appealing package for researchers and drinkers alike. (Mar. 6) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
List of IllustrationsviiPreface: A Handful of Dreams Opened up to the SunixAcknowledgmentsxixIntroduction: Tequila Hangovers and the Mescal Monoculture Bluesxxi1Distilling the Essences, Blending Two Worlds32Mescal de Tequila: The Mexican-American Microcosmos133The Wild Origins and Domestication of Mescal de Tequila214Tillers and Tale-Tellers: The Agrarian Tradition of Jimadores315Out of the Fields, into the Fire: Tradition and Globalization456When the Epidemic Hit the King of Clones557Landscape and Pueblo: Putting Tequila in Place638Dreaming the Future of Tequila73Appendix 1.A Mescalero's Lexicon83Appendix 2.Common Names for Mescal-Producing Agaves in Spanish Dialects and Indigenous Languages Spoken in "Mega-Mexico"91Appendix 3.Agave Species Domesticated Prehistorically for Food, Fiber, Hedge, or Beverage Uses by Indigenous Communities93Appendix 4.Species Description of Cultivated Agave Species Historically Used in the Tequila Industry95Literature Cited109
\ Publishers WeeklyMexican botanist Valenzuela-Zapata and MacArthur Fellow Nabhan eruditely examine Agave angustifolia tequilana, the blue agave, from its place in Meso-American tradition and Mexican pop history to the perils facing the succulent plant from monoculture and big agro. Quoting from Aztec scripts, scholarly research and even Malcolm Lowry's novel Under the Volcano, the authors discuss the "man-agave symbiosis" in Jalisco, Mexico (tequila's home state), and detail the process of tequila production, from harvest to roasting, fermentation and final distillation. Four appendixes (including a "Mescalero's Lexicon" and a "species description of cultivated agave species historically used in the tequila industry") support the brief main text, while photos depict agave harvest and tequila production. While discussing the plant's most famous product, the authors balance biological savvy with a connoisseur's appreciation of tequila, noting the drink's ubiquitousness (70 distilleries produce over 400 brands). Valenzuela-Zapata's taxonomic interest in agave only occasionally hampers a lyrical writing style and an evident fondness for agave plants. Citations on nearly every page, however, might put off general readers. Most intriguingly, the authors recount the mid-1990s epidemic of agave disease, which resulted in a worldwide tequila shortage and sky-rocketing prices. They lament the loss of traditional cultivation methods, as well as clonal propagation of the plants. Today almost all Jalisco blue agave are genetically nearly identical and very vulnerable to pests. No mere bar room reference, this heady blend of agricultural history, Mescalero anthropology, Aztec mythology and nature writing is an appealing package for researchers and drinkers alike. (Mar. 6) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \
