Agave

A family of plants native to warmer climates from the southwest United States through Central America that are used as an ingredient to produce the syrup for a variety of beverages, such as mescal, pulque, and tequila. This plant is poisonous when raw, but when cooked it becomes a sweet flavored food component. It is the main stalk or heart of the plant that is harvested, cut into pieces and cooked to extract the juice.