It was a sacred liquid to the Aztecs and consumed for centuries in Mexico, but the traditional pulque drink seems to be fading in popularity.
Produced from the sap of the maguey plant, pulque advocates say the drink has medicinal qualities. But they worry that beer and other beverages are pushing it aside.
Beer drinkers can find pulque's taste off-putting and no advertising campaign has been undertaken to promote the drink, said Epifanio Leyva, who runs La Botija, a pulque bar in the Mexican capital.
PHOTO: AFP
"For 15 years the consumption of pulque has fallen, due to a lack of advertising by the big bars," Leyva said.
The milky beverage, with a low alcohol content, is served neat or with a taste of honey or fruit. At Leyva's bar, a glass of pulque goes for 10 pesos (less than NT$30) and is served with maize tortillas with a spicy salsa.
"You can drink one or two, eat three or four tortillas and you have a meal. Pulque is very nourishing," said Pablo Flores, a stout man with a passion for pulque.
"It gives strength to women after childbirth, helps produce milk in breastfeeding mothers and makes them want to have more children," said a smiling Flores, a regular at La Botija.
Ana Pablo, who works as a dishwasher at a restaurant, said her brother was advised to take pulque for his diabetes.
To the relief of La Botija's owner, much of his bar's clientele is young.
"At first, I didn't like the texture," said 21-year-old Saria Fuentes, "then I got used to the taste and now, I love it. And it doesn't give you a hangover. What more can you ask for?"(AFP)
爾奇酒對阿茲特克人來說是一種神聖的飲料，風靡墨西哥數世紀之久，但是這種傳統飲料似乎正逐漸淡出大眾生活。
這種飲料是用植物龍舌蘭的汁液製成的，普爾奇酒的擁護者說這種飲料具有療效，但他們擔心這種飲料的地位正漸漸被啤酒和其他飲料取代。
愛喝啤酒的人不喜歡普爾奇酒的口味，也沒有人願意幫該飲料打廣告宣傳，在墨西哥首都墨西哥市經營La Botija 普爾奇酒吧的艾琵法紐．萊發說。
「普爾奇酒這十五年來的銷售量每況愈下，這都是因為大酒吧不願意促銷這種飲料的關係，」萊發說。
這種乳白色的飲料酒精含量不高，不摻水喝或加蜂蜜或水果口味都可以。在萊發的酒吧，一杯普爾奇龍舌蘭只要十披索（低於新台幣三十元），還附贈一份烤玉米薄餅配莎莎辣醬。
「你可以喝個一兩杯，再吃三四片玉米薄餅，這樣就是一餐了，普爾奇酒的營養價值非常高，」身材矮胖、愛好普爾奇酒的波布羅．弗羅斯說。
「這種飲料可以為產後婦女補充精力，並讓餵母乳的母親分泌更多乳汁，讓她們想要多生幾個，」La Botija的常客弗羅斯笑說。
在餐廳當洗碗工的安娜:帕波洛表示，就有人建議她患有糖尿病的弟弟飲用普爾奇酒。
讓La Botija酒吧老闆感到欣慰的是，來這家酒吧的顧客都很年輕。
「一開始，我並不喜歡這種飲料，」二十一歲的莎里亞．芙安茲說：「喝習慣後，現在我已經愛上它了。最棒的是，這種飲料不會讓你宿醉。」（法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎？有什麼特別的？ B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃，包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食，像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術／消影術」魔法，能瞬間移動到商場去！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
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