There are so many wonderful, delicious treats that we wouldn’t have today if we hadn’t imported them from Mexico (corn, squash, Salma Hayek) but in my humble opinion, the two best are chocolate and tequila. While I was travelling through Mexico, I made sure to get up close and personal with both of these fine substances (though unfortunately, not with Salma).
At the Xocolatl Mexica chocolate company headquarters, you can watch as the workers grind the cacoa beans right in front of you, then purchase a box of the pressed pressed 100% cacoa powder in the store. It’s fabulous for making hot chocolate though perhaps a little too hard and bitter for eating on its own.
Xocolatl Mexica Chocolate Company
As you enter the state of Jalisco, where the small town of Tequila is located, you will see seemingly endless rows of blue agave fields. Tequila, like Champagne, is site specific meaning that in order for a liquor to be called “tequila” it must be produced in this one small corner of the world under specified conditions.
Blue Agave Fields
We took a tour of the Jose Cuervo factory. Yes, before you even have time to think it, I know that Jose Cuervo is not the best tequila in Mexico or even the best tequila in a cheap college bar. But, it was the only factory large enough to have a tour in English. We got to see the entire process from harvesting the agave plants to the distillation, aging and bottling.
Agave Piñas Waiting to be Roasted
Best of all, we were given samples all along the way of the raw and the roasted agave meat, of the un-diluted alcohol, and of the final product.
Six Shots and Two Mixed Drinks Later...
It’s a wonderful experience, getting so see where some of your favorite food and flavors come from first hand. Going through the whole process, from raw ingredients to delicious final product, gives you an entirely new appreciation for food.
