Mesquite Agua Fresca

Mesquite agua fresca is our ancient and now resurging culinary heritage. We are sometimes referred to as “la gente del mesquite/the people of the mesquite” because for millennia, before the arrival of corn from down south, it was mesquite that was central to our survival and to our culture.

Even after corn arrived in Texas and Northeastern Mexico around 700 CE, mesquite continued to be the only dependable source of nutrition and culinary enjoyment.
This mesquite agua fresca recipe recalls how our ancestors would make this beverage by crushing mesquite pods in wooden or rock mortars, and sometimes even directly in holes in the earth for added flavor.

Bedrock mortars are found all over South Texas today, reminders of our ancestors’ love of mesquite and all things that make up our culinary deliciousness.

From “The Texas Mexican Plant- based Cookbook” 

Recipe for Mesquite Agua Fresca

Ingredients (Makes 4 cups)
5 oz. mesquite pods
8 cups water
1–2 Tbs. maple syrup

Method
1. You may want to freeze the mesquite pods, depending on where you picked or obtained them. Freezing kills little gray bugs (weevils or bruchid beetles) that may have gotten into the pods. If there are little holes in the pods, those are exit holes where the bruchids dug their way out. The bruchids are harmless, though, so it isn’t necessary to freeze the pods. Make sure to thaw the pods completely before proceeding to make the agua fresca.
2. In a large saucepan, heat 8 cups of water until it begins to boil. Add the mesquite beans and boil them until they become soft. This may take up to 45 minutes, depending on how dry the pods are. Up to one-half of the water will evaporate. Allow the pods and water to cool.
3. In a blender, place the cooled mesquite pods along with the water. Add additional water to make 4 cups. Pulse the blender for just a few seconds to slightly crush the pods, breaking them apart to release their sweet juice. The seeds are very hard, so they will remain intact.
4. Strain the crushed mesquite solution through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the pods to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pods.
5. Add the maple syrup according to your taste, and depending on the sweetness of those particular pods, stirring to dissolve completely. Refrigerate the agua fresca for an hour or longer.
Serve the mesquite agua fresca over ice.