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Pulque

Also Known As Octli
Fermented Beverages and Beer

Pulque is a mildly alcoholic Mexican beverage made by fermenting the sap, called aguamiel, tapped from the maguey or agave plant, producing a thick, milky, slightly viscous drink with a tangy, yeasty flavor. It occupied a central place in the religious and social life of pre-Hispanic central Mexico, associated with Mayahuel, a goddess said to embody the maguey plant itself, and with the Centzon Totochtin, a legendary group of four hundred rabbit gods representing the many possible states, and misbehaviors, of drunkenness; these are recounted here as Aztec religious legend, not as historical fact. Pulque is the fermented, undistilled predecessor to mezcal, which is instead the roasted and distilled product of the same plant family, and no fixed date can be given for pulque's own origin, since fermenting agave sap for drink is an old practice in central Mexico that predates any written or precisely datable record.

Facts
Origin Period, From (Year)
from 300 1
The earliest known depictions of pulque in Mesoamerican art come from Teotihuacan, at its peak between 300 and 550 CE; this marks the earliest attested depiction, not necessarily the drink's actual invention, which may be older.
Origin Period, To (Year)
to 550 1
Marks the end of the Teotihuacan peak period, 300 to 550 CE, that supplies the earliest known depictions of pulque in Mesoamerican art, paired with the already attested origin-start-year of 300; the underlying practice of fermenting agave sap may be older than this depicted period.
Origin Region
Central Mexico (Mesoamerica) 1
Connections

Expresses Tradition

Source Larousse Gastronomique
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Pulque (World History Encyclopedia)
World History Encyclopedia
  • Origins
    The earliest depictions in Mesoamerican art of pulque are from the great city of Teotihuacan, at its peak between 300 and 550 CE.
  • Names
    octli
View the Source
Larousse Gastronomique
Hamlyn, 2009
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