Today, let's take a look at Mexico's national drink - Tequila
1. History of Tequila
Tequila and mezcal (collectively referred to as tequila), Mexico's national drinks, have a long history. In the early 20th century, people in other countries didn't know about it. But since then, they have become famous in a very short time, injecting fresh "blood" into bars around the world.
Pulque - slightly bubbling fermented agave juice, is the first alcoholic beverage brewed by ancient Indians living in present-day Mexico. In the early days, this beverage was only used for religious ceremonies. Later, it gradually became a drink for local nobles, and by the 16th century, the number of ordinary people drinking pulque increased unprecedentedly.
In the early 16th century, the Spanish introduced distillation technology to Mexico, and mezcal came into being. Its name comes from the Aztec language, which is a combination of two words: metl, which refers to a type of agave plant, and ⅸcalli, which means "cooked".
At that time, there were already several different mezcals. One of them was particularly eye-catching, it was called Mesquita. The production process was different from the others, adding fried chicken to the fermented grass juice before distillation. Mezcal also has medicinal uses. It can enhance appetite, promote digestion, speed up wound healing, and relieve pain. Drinking it after a heat stroke can quench thirst, relieve fatigue, and have the effect of refreshing the mind.
2. The advent of tequila
With the improvement of technology and distillation, the development of industry and the establishment of strict quality standards, tequila was born. There are two theories about the origin of its name. One theory is that it borrowed the name of Tequila City, where a more industrialized and modern method of producing mezcal appeared in the first few years of the 20th century. Another theory is that it was created by the Tequila people, who mastered the distillation technology long before the arrival of Spanish immigrants.
The production of tequila begins with the cultivation of agaves. They grow in a variety of soils, but require scorching sunlight and constant care. The plants generally take 7-8 years to grow to the required maturity. The workers who harvest agaves are called jiamador. They remove the prickly leaves that grow on the heart of the agave, leaving only the heart (pinas) for the next step of processing. The processing is different for tequila and mezcal.
3. Types of tequila
Blanco - colorless tequila, it is not suitable for storage. Also called Whites or Silver.
Joven - light tequila that is not suitable for storage. It can be flavored. Red pepper, lemon, orange are often used as flavoring agents. From this category, Tequila Gold or Tequila Oro can be divided. It has a golden color due to the addition of caramel.
Reposado - this tequila can be stored in oak barrels for no less than two months. Adding no more than 1% of the total volume of caramel to the wine can make the amber color of the wine more obvious.
Anejo - This tequila has a shelf life of no more than one year in an oak barrel with a capacity of 600 liters (200 liters for mezcal). It is worth noting that many manufacturers store tequila for longer than the specified period.
The heart of the agave is like a huge pineapple. Mexicans call it pinas. Such a heart weighs 30 to 80 kilograms.
Natural steroid saponin-yucca extract
Yucca is commonly known as pineapple, sisal, and phoenix tail orchid. It is a plant of the genus Yucca in the Agave family. It is mainly distributed in the desert areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is planted in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places in my country. It is an evergreen shrub that can grow to 3 to 4 meters high in four or five years. It can be used as a tree species for urban greening.
Yucca extract powder, also known as schidigero powder, is derived from the yucca plant. This extract is usually extracted from the roots of various yucca plants, and sometimes from their bark and leaves. It is rich in bioactive compounds, especially saponins, which have many health benefits. Schidigero is made from yucca, which is first concentrated by extraction with an alcohol solvent, and then extracted with water and n-butanol to remove impurities. The n-butanol phase is evaporated to dryness and then refluxed with ether to obtain an insoluble material. It contains steroidal saponins (sarsaponin ligands, sarsaponin ligands, agave saponin ligands), free saponins, carbohydrate complexes, and other active ingredients. It can effectively reduce the concentration of harmful gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the livestock house, improve the animal breeding environment, promote feed decomposition, improve digestibility, enhance body resistance, promote nutrient absorption, improve animal health, improve livestock and poultry production efficiency, and improve the quality of livestock products. Yucca extract can also affect vitamin activity and animal hormone secretion, stimulate the circulatory system and respiratory system. Yucca extract has been widely studied and applied as a pancreatic emulsifier in animal husbandry production, producing good economic and social benefits. Yucca extract can also be used to make carbonated beverage foaming agents, food flavor enhancers, etc.