Known worldwide as the land of mezcal, Oaxaca offers this thousand-year-old drink that both Oaxacans and visitors from other parts of the country and the world love. Today I will tell you about Mezcal, what it is, and its importance.
The mezcal is obtained by distilling the fermented juice of the heads or piñas of cooked agave. The drink is linked not only with the ceremonial and the party, as it is used to clean the cornfields, the buildings, and crosses, but also with medicinal aspects.
There is a place named Santiago Matatlán in Oaxaca, which is recognized as the world capital of Mezcal due to the large number of artisan factories that are dedicated to its production.
Its production process in its traditional form consists of five stages: selection and cutting of the ripe maguey; baking or cooking the maguey pineapples; crushing or grinding of the cooked pineapples; fermentation and distillation.
There is a wide variety of flavors, aromas, and textures in mezcals, which depends on factors such as the type of agave used, distillation, aging time, etc.
Oaxaca has the appellation of origin of mezcal, which is important, since it provides greater opportunities to the productive sector in Mexico while protecting the consumer.
Mezcal, without a doubt, grants recognition to the localities where it is produced, since its production, the myths that surround it, and the respect that the people have for this drink, are aspects that help to build the cultural identity of Oaxaca.
