Day 99 -- Agava, Agave, Agavo

I feel like I'm conjugating Latin, but today I'm actually learning more about agave sweetener.  It seems to be the sweetener of choice for many vegan cooks.  Though I'm a honey girl, which isn't technically vegan, I am willing to consider agave nectar/syrup, but not until I know what agave is.  I'm thinking it might be some kind of cactus?

Hello, there.  Blue agave, the plant often used to produce agave syrup or nectar, is also used to make tequila!  I've always enjoyed tequila in my margaritas but I've never thought much about where it came from  Mexico was as close as I could come to answering that question  As far as the worm, I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.  A future subject to research.

To produce agave nectar from the Agave Americana and tequiliana plants, the leaves are cut off the plant after it has aged seven to 14 years. The juice is then extracted from the core of the agave, called the piña. The juice is filtered, then heated to separate the complex components (the polysaccharides) into simple sugars. This filtered juice is then concentrated to a syrupy liquid, slightly thinner than honey. Its color varies from light- to dark-amber, depending on the degree of processing.


Agave salmiana is processed differently than Agave tequiliana. As the plant develops, it starts to grow a stalk called a quiote. The stalk is cut off before it fully grows, creating a hole in the center of the plant that fills with a liquid called aguamiel. The liquid is collected daily and processed into syrup.

I bought a bottle of agave syrup when I was stocking my vegan pantry.  I now know that it's sweeter than honey and is also thinner, so it flows better.  It can be used as a sweetener in drinks, but also is used in vegan baking.  As for tequila, we all know what that's good for.  Now, about the worm . . .