Join Patrick Abboud as he travels deep into the countryside to find the families growing and producing Mezcal, the local, potent Mexican drink.
Pat is moved by the deep connection he forms with the patriarch of a family after being invited into his home for dinner. In the early hours of the morning, Pat joins the family on the side of a mountain on their annual Catholic pilgrimage. After music, singing and fireworks, they sit down at a long table to feast and drink Mezcal as the sun rises.
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6 Comments
Good to know about thier culture. Its pretty interesting to know
Mezcal is produced using distillation which arrived with Europeans, having been honed in Mesopotamia and the Far East hundreds if not thousands of years before. There are other ancient Mexican beverages that are indeed pre-Columbian and require little research. It's a shame that your editors were not able to distinguish that fact.
Exactly, Catalina--why Pat didn't do a little bit more research into the ancient fermented beverages PULQUE and TEPACHE ? These are far more authentic Mexican drinks than the trendy Mezcal. Oh, now I know--because trendy is what sells. It really bothers me that travel writers--or rather, those who espouse to be travel writers--fail to spend some time doing scholarly research into a culture.
KimmieA. I hear what you're saying, but at least they didn't talk about tequila and tacos like every other travel publisher... ever.
Hi Catalina and KimmieA
Actually, Mezcal is older than you think :)
Two academics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico spent 10 years conducting studies and found that distillation was used in Mesoamerica around 2,500 years ago; debunking the popular theory that distillation was brought to Mexico with the Spanish invasion. In a pre-Hispanic city at a dig site, ovens found in houses were sampled and chemically analysed. The results showed that the hearts of agave plants were cooked in the ovens.
Great video, nice to see the real Mexico and what the people offer to travelers, so they can learn a little and see the old traditions they keep alive. There is hope and opportunities in our world, just need to get from your comfort zone and have a great lasting experience. Viva Mexico