What do you think?
Rate this book
Tequila: A Natural and Cultural History
The array of bottles is impressive, their contents finely tuned to varied tastes. But they all share the same roots in Mesoamerica's natural bounty and human culture.
The drink is tequila—more properly, mescal de tequila, the first mescal to be codified and recognized by its geographic origin and the only one known internationally by that name. In ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History, Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata, the leading agronomist in Mexico's tequila industry, and Gary Paul Nabhan, one of America's most respected ethnobotanists, plumb the myth of tequila as they introduce the natural history, economics, and cultural significance of the plants cultivated for its production.
Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan take you into the agave fields of Mexico to convey their passion for the century plant and its popular by-product. In the labor-intensive business of producing quality mescal, the cultivation of tequila azul is maintained through traditional techniques passed down over generations. They tell how jimadores seek out the mature agaves, strip the leaves, and remove the heavy heads from the field; then they reveal how the roasting and fermentation process brings out the flavors that cosmopolitan palates crave.
Today in Oaxaca it's not unusual to find small-scale mescal-makers vending their wares in the market plaza, while in Jalisco the scale of distillation facilities found near the town of Tequila would be unrecognizable to old José Cuervo. Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan trace tequila's progress from its modest beginnings to one of the world's favored spirits, tell how innovations from cross-cultural exchanges made fortunes for Cuervo and other distillers, and explain how the meteoric rise in tequila prices is due to an epidemic—one they predicted would occur—linked to the industry's cultivation of just one type of agave.
The tequila industry today markets more than four hundred distinct products through a variety of strategies that heighten the liquor's mystique, and this book will educate readers about the grades of tequila, from blanco to añejo, and marks of distinction for connoisseurs who pay up to two thousand dollars for a bottle. ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History will feed anyone's passion for the gift of the blue agave as it heightens their appreciation for its rich heritage.
The drink is tequila—more properly, mescal de tequila, the first mescal to be codified and recognized by its geographic origin and the only one known internationally by that name. In ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History, Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata, the leading agronomist in Mexico's tequila industry, and Gary Paul Nabhan, one of America's most respected ethnobotanists, plumb the myth of tequila as they introduce the natural history, economics, and cultural significance of the plants cultivated for its production.
Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan take you into the agave fields of Mexico to convey their passion for the century plant and its popular by-product. In the labor-intensive business of producing quality mescal, the cultivation of tequila azul is maintained through traditional techniques passed down over generations. They tell how jimadores seek out the mature agaves, strip the leaves, and remove the heavy heads from the field; then they reveal how the roasting and fermentation process brings out the flavors that cosmopolitan palates crave.
Today in Oaxaca it's not unusual to find small-scale mescal-makers vending their wares in the market plaza, while in Jalisco the scale of distillation facilities found near the town of Tequila would be unrecognizable to old José Cuervo. Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan trace tequila's progress from its modest beginnings to one of the world's favored spirits, tell how innovations from cross-cultural exchanges made fortunes for Cuervo and other distillers, and explain how the meteoric rise in tequila prices is due to an epidemic—one they predicted would occur—linked to the industry's cultivation of just one type of agave.
The tequila industry today markets more than four hundred distinct products through a variety of strategies that heighten the liquor's mystique, and this book will educate readers about the grades of tequila, from blanco to añejo, and marks of distinction for connoisseurs who pay up to two thousand dollars for a bottle. ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History will feed anyone's passion for the gift of the blue agave as it heightens their appreciation for its rich heritage.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
113 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
5 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 11, 2019
50% interesting, 50% dull.
I'd 100% just rather get drunk on the stuff.
I'd 100% just rather get drunk on the stuff.
May 26, 2018
Learned about the book at Agave Fest 2018 in Tucson. One of the authors was there. Everyone was saying this is the book to read if you want to learn about tequila. It’s certainly a good introduction, and much of what it says about American consumption is still true. Though I would like to see an update on what has happened to the industry since 2003.
April 10, 2025
good and informative overview of tequila, agave, and mezcal ethobotany. a great read for a visit to jalisco/gdl.
not a spoiler, one key takeaway is that blue agave, Like all other monocashcrops is suuuper vulnverable 😵💫
not a spoiler, one key takeaway is that blue agave, Like all other monocashcrops is suuuper vulnverable 😵💫
July 3, 2009
It was not a riveting book, but it was interesting in parts. I think readers may learn a thing or two about how tequila and mescal (remember, all tequila is a mescal, but not all mescal is tequila) are made and the very proud history of the product. This is written by botanists and agronomists, so the book does get a bit too technical at times in details about the different plants, cultivation, land, etc. For me, these were the slow parts, but I still learned something. The chapters dealing more with the lore, culture, and history were the ones that I found interesting.
Some notes for myself from the book:
The tequila hierarchy. I actually knew this before reading the book, but it is worth noting. You have tequila blanco (white/silver. This is the one that is not aged. The one you usually use for margaritas and cocktails), tequila oro (or joven. This one is colored by things like caramel or due to seasoning in oak barrels. This one is the popular one in the U.S., usually as a mixer or for shots), reposado( can have additives, but the main thing is it is "rested" in barrels for at least two months, but less than a year usually), and añejo (the extra-aged. It can have additives, but the deal is really in the aging from 12 months up).
Many tequilas are blended. Nothing wrong with that, but there is a clear difference. By law, if it is 100% blue agave (and this means no other sugars added), it has to be labeled as such. Therefore, that bottle of Cuervo, to pick a common example, is probably a blend of different agaves, and probably has additives (often sugars. By law, it has to be 51% agave). And boy, is there a diversity of agave plants. A lot of the reason that one type is used the most is pressure from the big companies for uniformity.
I found interesting how the image of tequila has changed to become more sophisticated. For a long time, Mexico did not really embrace tequila, as other than a cheap drink. Now, it is embracing it and seeing it as an element of national pride, but it was interesting to me because in large measure this was made possible by people outside of Mexico extolling the virtues of good tequila, then Mexicans abroad discovering this and telling their folks back home. "When you now give a Mexican an aged bottle of tequila, it is a prestigious present, reaffirming his identity" (74). As noted, that was not always the case.
On another little note, according to the book, Mexican connoisseurs tend to prefer white and reposado. Americans in the US prefer the oro. But the point at the end of the day is that tequila is not just for shots anymore. A good (premium) tequila is a pleasure to sip just as a good whiskey or cognac. A very premium tequila can set you back a thousand or two thousand bucks (and worth it if you can afford it, I suppose). You do have to note also that a lot of tequila's rise in popularity has been due to very good marketing techniques such as using artisans to make pretty bottles and labels in order to evoke certain images. The result of the growth in popularity, especially for the more premium brands, is that "tequilas have now displaced whiskeys as the most frequently consumed spirit in the United States" (81). Overall, read the labels, do some research if need be, then buy accordingly.
If you want to learn more about this spirit that seems to be overtaking the United States, this is a pretty good place to start.
Some notes for myself from the book:
The tequila hierarchy. I actually knew this before reading the book, but it is worth noting. You have tequila blanco (white/silver. This is the one that is not aged. The one you usually use for margaritas and cocktails), tequila oro (or joven. This one is colored by things like caramel or due to seasoning in oak barrels. This one is the popular one in the U.S., usually as a mixer or for shots), reposado( can have additives, but the main thing is it is "rested" in barrels for at least two months, but less than a year usually), and añejo (the extra-aged. It can have additives, but the deal is really in the aging from 12 months up).
Many tequilas are blended. Nothing wrong with that, but there is a clear difference. By law, if it is 100% blue agave (and this means no other sugars added), it has to be labeled as such. Therefore, that bottle of Cuervo, to pick a common example, is probably a blend of different agaves, and probably has additives (often sugars. By law, it has to be 51% agave). And boy, is there a diversity of agave plants. A lot of the reason that one type is used the most is pressure from the big companies for uniformity.
I found interesting how the image of tequila has changed to become more sophisticated. For a long time, Mexico did not really embrace tequila, as other than a cheap drink. Now, it is embracing it and seeing it as an element of national pride, but it was interesting to me because in large measure this was made possible by people outside of Mexico extolling the virtues of good tequila, then Mexicans abroad discovering this and telling their folks back home. "When you now give a Mexican an aged bottle of tequila, it is a prestigious present, reaffirming his identity" (74). As noted, that was not always the case.
On another little note, according to the book, Mexican connoisseurs tend to prefer white and reposado. Americans in the US prefer the oro. But the point at the end of the day is that tequila is not just for shots anymore. A good (premium) tequila is a pleasure to sip just as a good whiskey or cognac. A very premium tequila can set you back a thousand or two thousand bucks (and worth it if you can afford it, I suppose). You do have to note also that a lot of tequila's rise in popularity has been due to very good marketing techniques such as using artisans to make pretty bottles and labels in order to evoke certain images. The result of the growth in popularity, especially for the more premium brands, is that "tequilas have now displaced whiskeys as the most frequently consumed spirit in the United States" (81). Overall, read the labels, do some research if need be, then buy accordingly.
If you want to learn more about this spirit that seems to be overtaking the United States, this is a pretty good place to start.
December 1, 2015
Really interesting book that delves into the botanical and cultural history of agave cultivation. The authors discuss how the commercial cultivation of agave for tequila production has reshaped the biological development of the species and the economic impact of those who work in the tequila business.
February 28, 2011
I keep planning on going back and finishing this book someday, but I haven't done it yet. While I enjoyed many parts of this book, overall it was much drier than I thought it would be based upon other books I've read by Nabhan.
November 5, 2013
A little too academic for me to enjoy.
March 14, 2015
A little dry, but informative.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews