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Updated May, 2011 |
Agave: More than just tequila
In his novel, Mexico, James Michener wrote, "The maguey is a symbol of the Mexican spirit. They are like dancers with beautiful hands. They lend grace and dignity to the land and have always been the symbol of peace and construction. From their bruised leaves were made the paper upon which records were kept. Its dried leaves formed the thatch for homes, its fibers, the threads that made clothing possible. Its thorns were the pins and needles while its white roots provided the vegetables for sustenance"
In the lowlands around Tequila, the ripe agave piñas are generally 60-80 kg, while in the red earth of the highlands they are much larger on average: 90-125 kg.
The plants have a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves generally ending in a sharp point and with a spiny margin (thorns or 'teeth'); the stout stem is usually short, the leaves apparently springing from the root. Yucca, is a related, but separate genus.
Smaller agave species may flower after only 3–4 years, while larger species may take 40–50 years. The flowers grow on a single large stalk that sprouts out of the middle of the plant and in larger species may grow up to 5m (15 feet) tall.
The agave used in tequila is the Agave tequilana Weber var. azul, and
only that agave is allowed for use in tequila. Agave tequilana Weber
var. azul is a diploid species with 2n = 60 chromosomes, and thirty
bivalents from pollen mother cells confirm the basic chromosome number
of x = 30.
Before flowering, shoots called hijuelos ('pups' - also called mecuatls) are produced asexually from the base of the stem, starting around the fifth year. These will become new plants. Growers remove the pups for replanting: the best and strongest pups are from the first cutting, around the sixth year. They will appear every year after, but are considered progressively weaker. This process leads to a monoculture because the pups are genetically identical to their mother.
And that monoculture is highly vulnerable to diseases, parasites and environmental changes because the species cannot adapt over the generations, since every plant is basically the same. As one report noted in mid-2006, Current germplasm diversity used in the production of Agave spirits in west-central México is in danger of erosion due to an expansion in the cultivation of the clone A. tequilana Weber var. azul, used for the elaboration of the famous drink "Tequila."
Hijuelos will also appear at the base of the remnant of the quiote - usually an indicator the agave is ripe for harvesting.
There are more than 300 species of agave listed, but only about 200 are formally recognized (Lopez says 274). Of these, 136 of them grow in Mexico. The image to the left shows a field of another type of agave, possibly one used to make pulque, growing in Los Altos outside Arandas. A different kind of agave can be seen growing on the cliffs beside the highway that runs north to Morelia from the coast. While only blue agave can be used for tequila, other agaves are used for mezcal and regional spirits.
Agaves have been used as a source of food, fibre, medicine, shelter and tools (like needles) for the past 9,000 years. The quiotes have also been used as a musical instrument, apparently similar in nature and sound to the Australian digeridoo. In more recent times, the quiote wood has been used for making surfboards.
Regardless of which tales is the truth, the agave in South Africa flourished in the Karoo, and have been used to make an agave-based spirit (one brand is called Agava) since 2003. Because of the international denomination of origin, no one outside Mexico can make an agave spirit and call it tequila.
Recent studies by the Independent University of Chapingo (UACh) have shown that agave contains more inulin than in most other natural sources, Inulins are a group of naturally occurring sugars produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of carbohydrates known as fructans. Inulin is used increasingly in foods, because it has unusual nutritional characteristics. Inulin has a minimal impact on blood sugar, making it generally considered suitable for diabetics and potentially helpful in managing blood sugar-related illnesses.
"It (inulin) is the product of the future and Mexico can take advantage
of that. We are one of the few countries in the world that cultivates
it. It could be the opportunity that waited for the farmers," declared
Remigio Madrigal Lugo, leader of the research team.
The tequilero agave is richer in fructans than the chicory. In order to
produce a kilo of inulin, 6 kilos of agave are required. As of June
2007, a kilogram of inulin sells in the market between the $3 and $12
USD. In Mexico, Nestle is the main consumer of inulins. Bimbo, Gamesa, Lala and Quaker, are also adding inulin to their products. In the last six years inulin imports to Mexico have increased from 13.30 tonnes in 2000 to 1,533 tonnes in 2005.
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Agaves
are not cacti (often found in the same terrain), but are members of
the family Agavaceae, which are succulent. Agaves are actually
related to the lily and amaryllis families, and not closely related
to cacti at all. Agaves range from Alberta, Canada, to southern and western United
States, through Mexico, to central and tropical South America
(Venezuela and Columbia in the south). Agave grow best at mid-high
altitudes (4,000–8,000 feet - 1,220-2,450 m - above sea level). 
Most agaves are monocarpic: they can flower only once in their lives,
although a few can flower more than once. Flowers have distinct male and
female parts. During flowering a tall asparagus-like stalk
('inflorescence') called a quiote first grows vertically from the centre of the leaf rosette.
When mature, this stalk branches, and produces a large number of shortly
tubular flowers. Several species of agave are pollinated by bats.
Tequila producers cut the quiote to prevent it from draining sugars and
nutrients from the mother plant. After development of fruit the original plant dies. 
Agaves
were introduced into Europe in the middle of the 16th century, mostly
for ornamental use. Agaves - particularly the Mexican blue agave -
were later introduced into South Africa. One story claims it was
Portuguese sailors who brought them in the mid-19th century. A second
relates that agave plants were distributed throughout South Africa in
the early 1900s for both erosion control and as a fodder crop in
droughts, and thousands of plants were planted by many families in the
Graaff-Reinet area. A third story says a young girl brought three imported agave plants from Grahamstown in 1938, and planted them on a farm outside Graaff-Reinet.
