CRAFT by Under My Host® Issue No. 15 Classics | Page 114

Ancestral Corn is under siege in Mexico and to some , preserving it is of the utmost importance . GMO seeds are prohibited in MX , but whether it is due to illicit seed activities , lax enforcement in certain northern states , or the wind , they are slowly creeping in . People want to keep it alive and to them , protecting it isn ’ t simply about keeping out GMOs , but about preserving a way of life .
One of the people working to protect its integrity is Jonathan Barbieri , artist and distiller extraordinaire at Pierde Almas in Oaxaca . His art and activism go hand in hand as does his position as a distiller of whiskey . Not just any whiskey , but whiskey made from the ancestral corn of Oaxaca .
Thirty years ago , the then San Franciscan went on a trip to Oaxaca that was only supposed to last a few months . He would paint and ship his paintings back to his gallery , but somewhere along the way , he decided to stay in this inspirational locale . Over the years , the area inspired and intrigued him . An example would be his discovery of the local mezcal trade .
In the market , he would encounter women in interesting clothes selling mezcal on the sly . The women would produce the mezcal , cleverly concealed as a baby or produce from under their shawls and give a potential buyer a taste , filling up an old soda bottle or jug with the goods , once the sale was made . The reason for this clandestine behavior ? These scofflaws were on the alert for roving tax collectors on the hunt for illicit mezcal sales , who took little notice of a mother out buying produce .
Once introduced to this liquid culture , Jonathan became interested in trying all of the different types of mezcal , each type as varied as the person who made it . He began knocking on doors , tasting , and collecting the different types . He soon discovered that the good stuff never left the village .
Soon he decided to give it a whirl himself , having great success transferring his love of enjoying fine mezcal to becoming a maker of equal success .
So , how did Barbieri get from mezcal to whiskey ? Naturally , of course . The region he inhabits is known for its corn and it was a very natural step in the evolution of the distillery to use this regional specialty .
Jonathan lived in a small village in Oaxaca , little infrastructure . People were still using horse drawn carriages 20 years ago , it was commonplace . In fact , some are still in use today . And , corn was part of the local economy . Then things began to change .
Road conditions changed with the introduction of pavement to the region . Dusty manure polluting the air was greatly reduced and the overall quality of life began to improve . People who were once producers became consumers and it is somewhere in there that the ancestral corn of the region began to suffer .
In this region , corn was a safety net . You could sell it , use it to make tortillas and tamales , but soon many inhabitants went from buying the corn to buying the tortillas . This created difficulties in the local economy , whereas the money that was once spent in the community began to leave it via a non-local supply chain . What we ’ re talking about is the place where corn was introduced to humankind 6,500 years ago possibly going out of the corn business .
Barbieri decided that he wanted to do what he could to support the local industry and so , his Ancestral Corn Project was born . The way he and others see it , “ Corn is so much a part of life there that it would erase centuries old culture , from weaving to cuisine . That is why it is really important to me because I am very committed to Oaxaca .” This project is about so much more than whiskey or tortillas , but the preservation of the local culture .
The work of raising corn in Oaxaca is laborious , as machinery and oxen can ’ t access the rugged terrain of the farmland , so the corn is planted