Latin American food culture is fascinating. Knowing the origins of some of the most famous dishes is an exercise in understanding the importance of cultural mixing. Also know the traditions where food is a common topic in many situations. Focusing on Mexico, its food and drink are so delicious that it not only conquered half the world, but also won the heart of the most unlikely individual: Hitler.

In particular, a drink called pulque obsessed the Führer so much that he ordered a documentary to be made about it. Easiest way? Send a crew of Nazi filmmakers to Mexico.

Return to the Aryan race. There are a few things that obsess the leader of Nazi Germany. The first was that he was mindful of the famous image of the leader as a kind of messiah who would save Germany. It was also said that he took good care of his body, did not smoke and was vegan. Of course, he looks like he’s on drugs like there’s no tomorrow, and some of the phrasing may have worked to the gallery’s benefit, as there’s a big asterisk in the fact that he doesn’t drink.

In his quest to improve the health of himself and the Aryan race, Adolf Hitler ordered research into both the origins of the Aryan race (which obsessed Himmler almost more than the Führer himself) and a range of foods and drinks that would promote better health for the body. reaches its maximum potential. And this investigation led him to pulque.

stamp. It is an alcoholic beverage of pre-Hispanic origin, containing between 3% and 6% alcohol. It is also known as aguamiel and is made from the fermentation of agave, a plant with many interesting uses. The consumption of pulque or something similar to pulque dates back to B.C. It is estimated that it dates back to the 4th century and has been used in medicine and rituals throughout history, and is related to the myths and legends of the Toltecs, Mexico and other peoples.

In fact, some cultures had very strict rules. So much so that if you were under 70 and they caught you drinking pulque, you would be fined. And be careful not to get drunk in public as there is also a penalty. Priests, nursing women, women about to give birth, and the sick could also take it. Come on, the real ingredient that caught Hitler’s attention was not agave, but an ancient drink that was tasted by priests and elders and also had a mystical content. It was also said that this was a healing drink.

documentary. Such was the fascination that the Nazi leader sent his chief director, Hubert Schonger, to Mexico to record a documentary about the pulque production process. The team traveled to the Apan Valley and Puebla to record, and in 1936 a silent documentary of approximately 12 minutes appeared in Mexico under the name Pulquebereitung (Pulque production in Mexico, Spanish name).

What can we see inside? Workers cut the agave, carry the ingredients, extract the mead, prepare the drink, fill it into barrels on the backs of donkeys, and occasionally drink the drink. And when projected, a person read a 14-page script describing what was seen on the screen. After World War II, the documentary was lost (I guess it would have been one of Hitler’s and whoever’s last priorities was whoever kept the tape in the final moments of the war).

70 dollars. But in 2006 something happened. At a public auction held in Berlin, one of many pieces of this material appeared, and a collector named Javier Gómez Marín, who paid $70 over the Internet, came with the tape. Gómez Marín is an expert in pulque and has in his collection all kinds of drink-related crafts; This documentary is one of the gems of the collection, which he describes as the “Holy Grail of pulque.”

Unfortunately, as noted in El Sol de Puebla, this documentary is rarely shown. When it is shown, it is at conferences or exhibitions where pulque is the hero. The film is currently in Gómez Marín’s possession, but experts from the University Center for Cinematographic Studies of the National Autonomous University of Mexico have digitized the 16-millimeter original for preservation.

puebla farm. Pulque was, after all, one of Hitler’s obsessions, but it was thanks to his obsession with a drink he considered a “magic potion” that he sent a team of filmmakers who allowed him to portray daily life in mid-1930s Mexico. This was not the only production, as Schonger made three more productions before returning to Germany.

One of them is about corn production, another is about Mayan culture, and another one that we can see along these lines is about a German farm in Puebla.

Pictures | AlejandroLinares Garcia, Bundesarchiv

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