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Esculent: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Elizabeth McQueen
A food podcast that explores how humans have defined what is, and isn’t, edible.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 weeks ago11 min
Tasting Mezcales in Translation
Each episode of this season has explored different facets of the mezcal-making industry — from its history, to how it’s tasted, served, and perceived by tourists in Oaxaca. In our final episode of the season, we explore the role of women in mezcal-making practices. Briefly translating our two prior epiosdes, we present to you the lived experiences of Paula Aquino Sánchez and Graciela Ángeles Carreño, two mezcaleras who have navigated an industry that’s predominantly male and shown us what it’s like to be masters of their craft. Join us as we wrap up this season in conversation with Paula and Graciela, whose voices have been translated and dubbed in an effort to make their stories accessible to our English-speaking audiences. Voice for Paula Aquino Sánchez: Alyssa Pulido Voice for Graciela Ángeles Carreño: Frida López Bernal Host: Elizabeth McQueen & Daniela Gutierrez-Flores Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- Jun 25, 202644 min
Tasting Mezcales with Graciela Ángeles Carreño
En la segunda parte de nuestra serie de mezcaleras, Graciela Ángeles Carreño conversa con nosotros sobre la relación del mezcal con la tierra. Con su éxito, su demanda y su fama internacional creciente, ¿cómo ha la globalización del destilado transformado no solo la economía del agave sino también la vida cotidiana de los que lo producen? Este episodio invita a los oyentes a ver el mezcal más allá de la botella — para entender las tensiones, contradicciones y voces que rodean la tradición de la producción de mezcal como una forma de vida. Acompañados por Graciela Ángeles Carreño, mezcalillera de cuarta generación de Real Minero -- In our second part of the mezcalera series, Graciela Ángeles Carreño joins us in conversation about mezcal’s relationship to Earth. With its success, rise in demand, and growing popularity internationally, how has the globalization of this distilled drink transformed not only the agave economy but also the daily life of those who produce it? This episode invites listeners to see mezcal as something more than a bottle — to understand the tensions, contradictions and voices surrounding the tradition of mezcal-making as a way of life. Featuring Graciela Ángeles Carreño, 4th generation mezcalillera of Real Minero Host: Daniela Gutiérrez-Flores & Fabiola Santiago Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes & Stace Baran Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- Jun 18, 202634 min
Tasting 15 Mezcales with Paula Aquino Sánchez
In our first part of our mezcalera series, we are joined by Paula Aquino Sánchez as she shares her background — how she first stepped into the world of mezcal production, the opposition and skepticism she faced as a woman in mezcal, and what uses mezcal had in her family. Her voice in this conversation allows us to see how her connection to mezcal is deeply rooted in family tradition and how her legacy will continue to be put into practice as it gets passed down through generations. Featuring Paula Aquino Sánchez, independent legacy mezcalera Host: Daniela Gutierrez-Flores & Fabiola Santiago Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- Jun 4, 202642 min
Consuming Mezcal
The enduring fascination with the “authentic” drives tourists to seek the artisanally-produced mezcal, especially in Oaxaca, where Daniela and Elizabeth find themselves in Esculent’s fourth episode of this season. Through their navigation of different topics like rising housing prices, Michelin star systems, and alcohol consumption during times of the pandemic, we take a look at the relationship both researchers have to tourism, raising the question: Is there such a thing as responsible, conscious tourism? Featuring Asamblea de los Pueblos Indígenas del Istmo en Defensa de la Tierra y el Territorio, or APIIDTT, an organization representing community and agrarian authorities from Zapotec, Ikoots, Zoque, and Mixe communities in Oaxaca. Host: Elizabeth McQueen & Daniela Gutierrez-Flores Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes & Stace Baran Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- May 28, 202630 min
Serving Mezcal
At Masala y Maíz in Mexico City, no bottle goes to waste once it’s been opened. Join us for Esculent’s third episode with special guest and Director of Beverage and Culture, Sergio del Castillo and co-chef Saqib Keval, as they describe the restaurant’s cocktail program and the ethics that goes into its creation. With knowledgeable descriptions and different processes that go into making each spirit on the menu, guests are invited to taste for themselves, encountering new flavors and ingredients to learn how they’re made, and how those intimate tastes grow in relation to spirits. Host: Elizabeth McQueen & Daniela Gutierrez-Flores Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes & Stace Baran Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- May 21, 202638 min
The Taste of Mezcal
When mezcal evokes memories of mom’s kitchen or relatives spritzing the spirit to the earth, it becomes clear that smoke has never been adequate to describe a taste of mezcal. In Esculent’s next episode, we are joined by Mi Oaxaca’s founder, Fabiola Santiago, as we take a look at the different ways people encounter mezcal — either through tasting wheels, aromas, or the memories and relations we ascribe to the beverage. How can we fill in the gaps from tasting wheels that enforce Eurocentric aromas? Together, we think about how one can “taste” mezcal in ways that create relations, rather than orchestrate erasure. Host: Elizabeth McQueen & Fabiola Santiago Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes & Stace Baran Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- May 14, 202650 min
A Sticky History of Mezcal
When studying the history of mezcal, why begin with the milky, lightly fermented beverage pulque? In Esculent’s new season, we are joined once again by Professor Daniela Gutiérrez Flores as we navigate the archives detailing the cultural significance of the maguey plant in Mesoamerica. From discussing pulque’s role in sacred ritual to examining the colonial context of mezcal–both from maguey– we begin to center the narrative on Indigenous practices and experiences. Host: Elizabeth McQueen & Daniela Gutierrez-Flores Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes & Stace Baran Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
- May 14, 20264 min
Season 7: Mezcal
This season welcomes co-host Daniela Gutiérrez Flores as we prepare to travel with Fabiola Santiago and the organization Mi Oaxaca -- we are honored to be thinking, sensing, and traveling with care over the next episodes, all about mezcal. Host: Elizabeth McQueen & Daniela Gutiérrez Flores Partner: Mi Oaxaca Editors: Santiago Reyes & Stace Baran Production Intern: Alyssa Pulido Theme by Ronan Delisle This podcast is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center at Florida State University.
About Esculent
A food podcast that explores how humans have defined what is, and isn’t, edible.
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