The maguey flower (''

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

'' spp.), in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, flor de maguey (), also known locally as gualumbo, hualumbo, quiote or jioteThe term ''quiote'' or ''jiote'' (from the

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...

''quiotl'', "stem", "bud") refers mainly to the vigorous edible stem that grows from the center of the plant when it ripes. However, the maguey flower can also be called, by extension, ''quiote''. The term is also used as a verb: it is said that when a maguey ripes, it has "quioted" (''ha quiotado''). Further reading: García, P. (2020) is a typical product of

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

, cultivated mainly in the rural areas of the center of the country. Due to its difficult availability, it is considered a

delicacy A delicacy is usually a rare and expensive food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture. Irrespective of local preferences, such a label is typically pervasive throughout a r ...

. Maguey flowers are harvested and consumed closed (when they have not yet flowered), since once opened ( ripened), they have a bitter taste.

Description

The maguey or agave plant (''metl'' in Nahuatl) is one of the most appreciated '' quelites'' in Mexican cuisine. All its parts are used from this plant: the fiber, the sap, the flowers, the stem (''quiote'') and even the

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

and worms that live in it. There are 159 species of maguey all over Mexico, although the most important are ''

Agave americana ''Agave americana'', common names century plant, maguey, or American aloe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Mexico and the United States in Texas. It is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant, and has b ...

'', ''A. atrovirens'', ''A. mapisaga'' and ''A. salmiana''. The plant blooms once it reaches its peak ripening stage, between 7 and 15 years of age. The enormous stem sprouts from its center, which can reach up to 10 m. The maguey only blooms once in its entire life. After that, it dies. The maguey flowers are greenish-yellow, elongated in appearance (~ 10 cm). Each flower has 6

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

and inside, 3

pistils Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

with flattened seeds.

Production

The maguey only blooms once in its life. For this reason, the

indigenous peoples of Mexico Indigenous peoples of Mexico ( es, gente indígena de México, pueblos indígenas de México), Native Mexicans ( es, nativos mexicanos) or Mexican Native Americans ( es, pueblos originarios de México, lit=Original peoples of Mexico), are those ...

do not extract all the flowers from them, as an act of respect for the plant that feeds them. To extract the flowers from the maguey, it is not necessary to tear down the stem; a high ladder can be used. In this process, it is important to damage the vegetable as little as possible. The maguey flower is eaten in the central states of the country, particularly the

State of Mexico The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuer ...

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

and

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...

. Finding maguey flowers is not an easy task. Although they are generally sold in fresh bunches in local markets, most of the harvested flowers are for self-consumption. They can also be found canned in

brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for br ...

in ''gourmet'' stores.

Culinary use

Both the stem and the flower are edible. Due to their bitter taste, it is recommended to "deflam" (''desflemar'') the flowers (meaning "soften the flavor") by boiling them in salted water. But first, the stems and pistils should be removed, since these would make the stew bitter and are hard to eat. Only the petals are eaten. It is considered a laborious task, requiring some time. The flavor of maguey flowers has been compared to

chicken meat Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world. Owing to the relative ease and low cost of raising chickens—in comparison to mammals such as cattle or hogs—chicken meat (commonly called just "chicken") and chicken eggs have becom ...

, and it is actually considered a substitute for meat. Gualumbos are a very versatile culinary product. They can be prepared roasted ('), fried with onion and chili, stewed with

carnitas Carnitas, literally meaning "little meats", is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender. The process takes three to four hours, a ...

, coated in batter ('), in papillote (''

mixiote A mixiote is a traditional pit- barbecued meat dish in central Mexico; especially in the Basin of Mexico. It can also be prepared in an oven. It is usually made with mutton or rabbit, but chicken, lamb, and pork are also used. The meat is c ...

''), filled with white cheese, scrambled with eggs, as a filler for , bathed in

green sauce Green sauce or greensauce is a family of cold, uncooked sauces based on chopped herbs, including the Spanish and Italian ''salsa verde'', the French ''sauce verte'', the German ''Grüne Soße'' or ''Frankfurter Grie Soß'' (Frankfurt dialect), ...

, or cooked '' a la mexicana''. In stews, it can be combined with other vegetables (tomato, onion, garlic), meat or

longaniza Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage (embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines of ...

. While cooking, the stew should be covered so that the flowers remain juicy, stirring it every so often. When the flowers change its color to a dark green, they will be ready to be served, and they will give off a unique aroma. It is traditional to eat maguey flowers during Christian Lent, because it coincides with the flowering stage.

Food for other species

The nectar of the maguey flowers serves as food for migratory

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

species. For this reason, it is important not only to collect maguey flowers, but to plant new plants, to avoid endangering the food

life cycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia *Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring *Life-cycle hypothesis, ...

of these bats.

References

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Notes