Pulque Curado: a Mexican Tradition with Flavor

mexico city pulque

After a 100 year hiatus, the pulquería is back in Mexico City. Once ubiquitous in the capital during the Porfiriato regime, the establishments which sold fermented agave sap fell out of favor due to new government, new beer, and new land rights. Now, modern interests in healthy and authentic foods have driven a resurgence in pulque’s popularity. Not to mention the mosaic of flavors of pulque curado which pique the modern consumer’s interest in an otherwise, non-differentiable product. 

Since prehistoric times, indigenous Mesoamericans have been scraping the soft flesh from the hearts of agaves to induce the plant’s sweet sap to flow. The aguamiel, or sap, siphoned off into gourds, spontaneously ferments into the tart and refreshing booze known to Nahuatl speaking people as neutle or octli. Prior to the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the drink was reserved for ritual and religious purposes, but once Europeans arrived, it became a daily drink of the people–pulque. 

Yes, the quintessential drink of Mexico is pulque, but where does the flavored pulque curado fit in? A drink derived from the pure fermented sap of agave with the addition of flavor from seeds, flowers, fruits, or stems, pulque curado is a term we might translate as cured pulque. It is a drink in its own right with a complexity of medicinal, historical, and cultural undertones.

To make the stuff, the proprietor of a pulquería buys some pulque from a farm and infuses it with a desired flavor by grating, grinding, blending, beating, and finally re-fermenting with the newly added flavors and sugars. Because the process covers up the acidic flavor of over-fermented pulque, some quip that the flavor cures the drink earning it its name. We know that pulque is ancient and imbued with deep cultural significance for both indigenous and non-indigenous Mexicans, but what about pulque curado?

Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit
The red tuna fruit of the prickly pear cactus. Native people have long made wine from the fruit and may have used its juice to preserve fermented agave sap.
how to make pulque
Traditional producers called tlachiqueros scrape the 'heart' of the agave every day so that sweet sap accumulates in its bowl. Once collected, it will spontaneously ferment into pulque.

Ancient Additions to Octli

Long before Hernán Cortés and his men tasted pulque in the great Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, Mexican civilizations were infusing pure agave sap with plants and herbs. These concoctions had various purposes, but many magnified the ritual and religious aspects of consuming the agave drink. 

In typical Mexican fashion, the Teotihuacan people of the Mexican Central Altiplano left murals in their abandoned city. Among these murals are scenes of the water god commonly known as Tlaloc and the related water goddess Chalchihticue surrounded by the dripping flowers of floriopondio, nightshade of the genus Brugmansia. Poisonous in large doses, Teotihuacans likely used the flower for its hallucinogenic properties. They may have infused pulque with the essence of nightshade to heighten the spiritual experience of imbibing. Tlaloc, the water god, was also the god of medicine and healing. In this sense we may imagine an early version of cured pulque. 

In his comprehensive ethnography, Alcohol in Ancient Mexico, Henry J Bruman further illuminates the picture of pulque infusions. Natives cut fermented agave sap with the roots of the agave itself. This technique added viscosity to the drink and promoted fermentation. The Aztecs, like the Teotihuacans, attributed curative properties to the mixture. The name of the god Patecatl, who supposedly invented the idea of mixing root with fermented sap, means “the one from the land of medicine.” Once again, mixed pulque is curative. 

Were these ancient mixtures the predecessors of the pulque curado enjoyed by so many in Mexico City today? At the very least, the ancestors of Mexico’s indigenous peoples had already practiced the art of rendering pulque more potent for religious purposes and less apt to spoilage. 

Ancient octli ritual
Art referencing the ancient rituals that surrounded the production and consumption of pulque. Below it is the production space for pulque curado at Pulqueria Los Insurgentes.

Bringing Pulque to the People

The Aztec empire was known for its draconic policies surrounding the religious drink octli. Only the elite, priestly class, and elderly were permitted to drink it. So, when the Spanish arrived and began their Inquisition of indigenous, ‘pagan’ religion, the social controls on pulque consumption dissolved. Within decades, the masses had access to the white, inebriating beverage.

As early as the 1600s, Spaniards had developed a taste for pulque mixed with the pink pepper of the Schinus molle tree. (Bruman) Mexicans commonly call the peppercorn Pirul from the Árbol de Perú, referencing its Andean origins where Wari people have long made the berries into a red beer. The concoction of pink pepper and pulque is old enough to have a common Nahuatl name, copaloctli. This drink is clearly within the tradition of pulque curado as it was enjoyed as a sensory change to the normal natural product. Even today, curados can be found with the bitter flavor of molle. 

Similarly, there is some speculation that pre-Hispanic peoples mixed their pulque with the prickly pear fruit, tuna in Spanish or nochtli in Nahuatl, a common addition to modern curados. Colonche, the name for wine fermented from prickly pear juice, has been around for thousands of years. The Mexica people called the drink nochoctli giving us hope that these two drinks may have collided in a pre-hispanic cocktail. Rumor has it that the cactus fruit helped to elongate the shelf life of fermented agave sap. 

pulque advertisement
A 1910 advertisement for hygienic pulque. Commercial beer companies began a slander campaign accusing the drink of being dirty. from México nuevo, 1 May. 1910.

Either way, the secularization of fermented agave sap led to a boom in establishments selling pulque. The famous pulcherías took over the Mexican drinking landscape. In a recent study, Aquino, Rodríguez, and Ávila chart the saturation of the pulque market. In 1825, Mexico City had 80 pulcherías. The number grew to 817 by 1886. By the early 20th century, pulcherías were as common as bakeries on every city block. 

Yes, these establishments all sold pulque in its pure, natural form, but it was common to offer curados with a variety of attractive flavors. An 1866 cookbook gives the interesting recipes for Egg Pulque and Almond pulque. (Guía Zaragoza). “Egg yolks are beaten with the pulque, more or less depending on taste, and it is sweetened accordingly. Once in the cups, ground cinnamon is added.” Other curado flavors of the past included lime with chia seeds, pomegranate, peach, strawberry, pineapple, orange, and apricot. (El informador, 12 May. 1928)

Although commercialized, 19th and 20th century pulque maintained its medicinal element. An 1866 publication of El Mexicano elaborates the many medicinal qualities of the drink. “Pulque alone or mixed with espinosilla, Hoitzia coccinea, serves for rubbing those people sick with a fever. This liquor produces good effects in those who suffer from colds.” 

On top of this, when rumor spread that the spring water of Lake Xochimilco was poisoned during the Mexican Revolution a newspaper reports, “the credulous have taken the bait and decided to drink nothing more than pulque as common water and curados so that [the poison] passes.” (Churubusco 1914) Commercial brands told the Revolutionary Armies “”Halt! To increase the strength and energy of a soldier, take Nogue’s cured pulque. Druggist of La Palma. Ave. Madero” (El Pueblo 1918) The many flavors of  curados were a fundamental part of both the commercial and cultural sides of early modern Mexican pulcherías.

pulque curado sabores
Several flavors of pulque curado offered at a modern bar alongside European beverage options.

Pulque Spoils without a Cure

For all the drink’s medicinal properties, it was not immune to the international zeitgeist of its time. The temperance movement that swept across much of the globe during the late 19th and early 20th century targeted the pulquería too. As early as 1868 an article already began to bemoan the stigmatization of the pulquería. 

“The pulquerías have to close at five, on work days, on holidays at three, you can’t eat what is sold there; the counter must be attached to the door, music, meetings, or even food vendors are not allowed. And on the other hand, where foreign liquors are sold, there are tables, and chairs, and music, and meetings, and they talk, and drink, and meals are pampered, and the establishments are open day and night, and they are placed in where you think best.”

– La Orquesta, Saturday, July 18th 1868

In 1890, El Heraldo reported on a scandal occurring in the Central Plaza or Zócalo of Mexico City, “We are told that certain agua fresca [sweet flavored waters] stalls in the Zocalo, commit various infractions….the proprietors of these stalls, at the late hours of the night, sell cured pulque under the name agua fresca.” Seemingly trivial, this may underscore how Mexico’s taste for a variety of agua fresca correlates to its desire for flavored pulque curado. Still, the paper condemns the sale of the flavored alcohol. 

In addition to the moralizing forces of Temperance, the Mexican Revolution, which engulfed the 1910s, framed pulque as a symbol of the corrupt Porfiriato regime. One editorial titled “Revolutionary Philippics” considers “cured pulque dispensers” as worthy of the title “El Vendedor de Veneno” or Vendor of Poison. (El Pueblo 1916)

By the end of the Revolution, the pulquería business, once so ubiquitous in Mexico’s capital, was on the verge of collapse. Most historians credit the dissolution of the industry to three factors: anti-pulque revolutionary sentiment, the Agrarian Reform of 1930 which dissolved the agave-growing hacienda farms, and the emergence of large beer companies who promoted the falsehood that pulque was unclean and was even made with feces. 

With the disappearance of the popular pulquería, the pulque curado went quiet–that is until just about 20 years ago. The modern moment has re-popularized pulque–a trend which owes a lot to the flavored version of the drink.

pulqueria las duelistas
Pulqueria Las Duelistas only serves natural and cured pulque. It is extremely popular and patrons spill out into the street as they sip their curados with flavors like oatmeal, mango, pine nut, and guava.

The Neo-Pulqueria and Modern Tastes

Starting around 2000, pulque and pulquerías have made a major comeback in Mexico, especially Mexico City. During this time, stakeholders have established various industry fairs, such as La Expo Feria del Pulque en Jiquipilco and la Feria del Pulque de la Ciudad de México, where new-age pulquerías come together to promote their products. Pulque curado has been the rallying cry in this trend. One headline for the Mexico City pulque fair highlights, “More than 100 flavors of curados at the Fair of Pulque in Mexico City.” The flavors are the intrigue that customers need. 

One study on the business models of modern pulquerías concludes “if they want to be more profitable; among some options, there are the following: to increase the variety of cured pulques, to carry out cultural or recreational activities in addition to the sale of pulque, and to maintain constant presence in social networks.” (Aquino, Rodríguez, and Ávila) More extensive offerings of pulque curados are seen as essential to the success of a modern pulquería. This makes good sense as pulque itself is not differentiable; nearly every pulquería in the city is sourcing their raw agave sap from only 2 vendors. (Aquino, Rodríguez, and Ávila) One of these is the Del Razo family of Nanacamilpa in the state of Tlaxcala. (Memorias del 7º Congreso Nacional del Maguey y el Pulque)

A similar study notes that “Traditional consumers are principally men and prefer natural pulque, that is, without any flavor imparted by some fruit, vegetable, seed, or confection.” (Islas-Moreno, Rocillo-Aquino, and Thomé-Ortiz) The urban consumer differentiates herself from the country-side producer with the eclectic addition of flavors. Meanwhile, the tlachiquero, who produces the raw pulque, may just satisfy his palette with the addition of a pinch of salt to the drink. The urban pulquería must offer fresh new flavors every day. 

Indeed, modern offerings of pulque curado are seemingly infinite. One article from the forum Memorias del 7º Congreso Nacional del Maguey y el Pulque attempts to enumerate the flavors:

amaranth, blueberry, oatmeal, celery, beets, plums, peanuts, coffee, cappuccino, chocolate, coconut, coconut-oatmeal, coconut-chocolate, coconut-pineapple, peach, cempasuchil flower [marigold], strawberry, strawberry-cream, strawberry-kiwi, red berry mix, fig, tomato, cookie, soursop, kiwi, Kinder-Delis biscuits, lemon, mango, tangerine, mamey, passion fruit, marzipan, apple, melon, walnut, Oreo, pear, banana, banana-chocolate, dragon fruit, tamarind, hawthorn, prickly pear, jackfruit and blackberry.

New establishments go so far as to create custom curados with signature flavors or blends. The punk-style pulquería called Los Insurgentes in the hipster neighborhood of La Roma serves a name-sake curado of basil (hierba buena), hibiscus (Jamaica) and maracuya spiked with some mezcal. Trendy, commercial pulquerías like this one also offer a full bar and beer to appeal to a wider audience. Traditional establishments like Las Duelistas, open since 1912, only serve pulque and a daily rotation of curados. 

pulque aphrodisiac

Above the restrooms at Pulqueria Los Insurgentes, a reminder: Pulque is the Viagra of Mexico

But where does this modern propagation of pulque flavors fit in the overall history of the drink? The new-age pulquerías are invariably canvassed in murals, part of a great Mexican artistic legacy with roots as far back as Teotihuacan. The use of pulque curado, too, still covers up accumulations of sour lactic acid in not-so-fresh pulque. Flavors, even, tie the modern drink to its ancestral renditions: prickly pear is nearly pre-Hispanic, staples like celery or guava are reminiscent of the pulquerías of the Porfiriato. Finally, the techniques for manufacturing pulque and curados remain little changed from more historical times. 

While the health benefits of the infusion are not so promoted today, the drink’s current popularity owes some credit to the natural food movement which sees the live yeast and bacteria in fermenting pulque and curado as probiotic. Finally, wherever you drink pulque one quasi-medicinal folk belief will follow. The thick, white alcohol is allegedly good for male potency. For Mexicans, pulque is an aphrodisiac. Perhaps the curado is just spicing things up. 

pulque curado flavor

Sources Cited

Aquino, Zeltzin Itzel Rocillo, Juan Antonio Leos Rodríguez, and Jorge Aguilar Ávila. “La transformación de las pulquerías de la ciudad de México: perspectiva desde sus modelos de negocio.” Agricultura, Sociedad y Desarrollo 18.2 (2021): 225-245.

Bruman, Henry J., and Peter T. Furst. Alcohol in Ancient Mexico. Univ. of Utah Pr., 2001.

“Filipicas Revolutionarias Page 3.” El pueblo, 11 Mar. 1916, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/pueb19160311-01.1.3.

Guía Zaragoza, J. “Pulques curados de 1866.” Culinaria. Revista virtual especializada en gastronomía 5.10 (2015): 15-20.

Islas-Moreno, Asael, Zeltzin Itzel Rocillo-Aquino, and Humberto Thomé-Ortiz. “El papel de las fiestas en la revalorización del pulque, una bebida ancestral del centro de México.” RIVAR (Santiago) 8.22 (2021): 128-145.

Memorias del 7º Congreso Nacional del Maguey y el Pulque

“Page 3.” El heraldo, 8 May. 1890, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/hera18900508-01.1.3.

“Page 4.” México nuevo, 1 May. 1910, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/mndd19100501-01.1.4.

“Page 5.” El mexicano, 7 Oct. 1866, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/empb18661007-01.1.5.

“Page 6.” El pueblo, 23 Feb. 1918, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/pueb19180223-01.1.6.

“Veneno Page 2.” Churubusco, 1 Jul. 1914, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/csco19140701-01.1.2.

“Ventas Page 4.” El informador, 12 May. 1928, gpa.eastview.com/crl/irmn/newspapers/infr19280512-01.1.4.

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