Agave young flower stalk. Agave nectar (also called agave syrup), a sweetener derived from the sap, is used as an alternative to sugar in cooking, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent. The sap of "A. americana" and other species is used in Mexico and Mesoamerica to produce "pulque", an alcoholic beverage. The flower shoot is cut out and the sap collected and subsequently fermented. By distillation, a spirit called "mezcal" is prepared; one of the best-known forms of mezcal is tequila. When dried and cut in slices, the flowering stem forms natural razor strops, and the
Agave shrevei slowly compared to larger agaves. Some of the indigenous peoples of the region consume the plant as a food source. The immature flowering stalks are sweet and juicy and easy to harvest. People either eat them raw or brew them into alcoholic beverages. The leaf bases are also edible, but require roasting to destroy unpleasant chemical compounds Agave shrevei Agave shrevei is a member of the family Asparagaceae, indigenous to the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico, along the boundary between the states of Chihuahua and Sonora. Two subspecies are currently recognized, although a third has been proposed ("A. shrevei" subsp.