''Balché'' is a mildly intoxicating

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

that was commonly consumed by the ancient Maya in what is now

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and upper

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. Today, it is still common among the

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

. The drink is made from the bark of a leguminous tree, '' Lonchocarpus violaceus'', which is soaked in

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

and water, and fermented. A closely related beverage, made from honey produced from the nectar of a species of

morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

''( Turbina corymbosa)'', is called '' xtabentún''. Ritual enemas and other psychoactive substances were also taken by those who drank balché. According to food writer Sandor Katz, the ancient Maya consumed ''balché'' in enema form to maximize its inebriating effect. After the Maya were conquered by the Spanish, the drink was banned and their orchards were destroyed. Monday, 12 April 2021

References

{{Honey-based alcoholic drinks Mead Mexican alcoholic drinks Belizean cuisine Honey-based beverages

See also

References