Taste of Mexico: Escamoles

One of the astir overlooked chapters successful Mexican cuisine is the 1 astir insects.

However, it’s important to clarify a communal misconception: not each Mexicans person eaten insects, and it’s not existent that we each emotion them due to the fact that it’s successful our DNA. I’ve witnessed friends and household go visibly distressed aft trying crickets, worms oregon tacos filled with escamoles — immoderate person adjacent turned pale, teetered connected the brink of fainting, cried oregon rushed to the bath aft a azygous bite.

The writer likes edible insects, but adjacent she admits that she’s not the benignant to snack connected grasshoppers each day.

I indispensable confess, if you contiguous maine with immoderate insect, I’ll springiness it a try, but not each insects are my favorites. I haven’t tasted them all, and I’m not the benignant of idiosyncratic who snacks connected a container of grasshoppers each day, adjacent though I bash bask them.

For me, the champion mode to devour insects is erstwhile they’re hidden: successful a sauce, tucked distant successful my tortilla, crushed into a mole, oregon blended into the rim of my mezcalita. However, arsenic soon arsenic I spot an insect with its tiny legs lying dormant connected apical of my guacamole, I get the ñañaras (a feeling of disgust oregon the creepy-crawlies. It’s besides 1 of the astir amusive words to say. In Cuba and the Dominican Republic, it really refers to a tegument wound.)

Escamoles: Mexican caviar

Escamoles are the larvae of ants, and they connection a unsocial culinary experience. I person nary hesitation astir starting my repast with these buttery delicacies. Eating escamoles is simply a luxurious experience, arsenic they person a spirit reminiscent of young corn, with a hint of butteriness and nuttiness. Their sensation is delicate and complex, making them a genuinely peculiar dish.

Is it truly similar caviar?

Yes, it is! Since pre-Hispanic times, the harvesting of escamolera ants has been taken precise seriously. These ants physique their nests underground, typically astatine the basal of maguey plants, successful cactus patches, oregon adjacent pirul trees. The postulation play occurs during March and April, and escamolera ants tin beryllium rather aggressive, making the harvesting process challenging. That’s wherefore a kilogram tin outgo betwixt 1,500 and 2,500 pesos.

Considering their origin, it’s not astonishing that escamoles person a play erstwhile they’re disposable and this is it. You’ll find them successful cardinal Mexico during March and April successful mercados by the kilo and for merchantability by thoroughfare vendors. (Wikimedia Commons)

Some legends suggest that escamoles were erstwhile a luxury nutrient reserved for Tlatoanis (emperors), warriors, nobles, and priests. However, this seems somewhat exaggerated. With maguey plants and cactus everywhere, it’s hard to judge that it wasn’t staple food. Pre-Hispanic cultures regularly included astir 95 types of edible insects successful their diet. While we don’t cognize the frequence oregon quantity of their consumption, it is known that the Aztecs did devour escamoles. 

Actually, the word escamoles comes from the Nahuatl words azcatl (ant) and molli (sauce oregon crushed mixture).

Escamoles successful assemblage times

Unlike galore different ingredients we’ve talked about, escamoles weren’t banned during assemblage times. On the contrary—many convent and household look books included them successful dishes similar moles, mixiotes, tamales, oregon cooked with nopales.

Escamoles today

Escamoles person go a gourmet dish, fashionable successful Mexico City. You tin find them successful galore places, but present are 4 of my favourite spots wherever I’ve personally tried them:

1. El Cardenal. El Cardenal has respective branches passim the city. The buttery escamoles are divine and apt 1 of the astir accepted mode to bask them. Tip: Be definite to effort their moles—they’re excellent—and ever opt for seasonal dishes.

2. La Cocina de San Juan. If insects springiness you the heebie-jeebies, this whitethorn not beryllium the spot for you. They service tacos made with scorpions, spiders, jumiles, and of people escamoles. If you are fearless, and find yourself astatine La Cocina de San Juan effort the chaotic boar mixiote. It’s unthinkable and volition marque you consciousness similar a existent Aztec emperor.

3. Limosneros – If you find yourself successful the Historic Center, this is the edifice to visit. Few establishments are arsenic dedicated arsenic Limosneros to reviving accepted ingredients, techniques, and dishes portion adding a modern twist. I highly urge everything connected their menu, but the cuitlacoche taco is simply a must-try.

4. Restaurante Máximo – The escamol crostini is outstanding. This edifice is perfect for anyone seeking good eating successful CDMX. Be definite to effort the Wagyu beef lingua with mole and the crab tlayuda; some are fantabulous examples of Mexican recipes with a haute cuisine twist. It’s besides a fantastic spot to instrumentality a interruption from each the maize and salsa-heavy dishes.

In places similar Hidalgo, wherever escamoles are a traditional, still-popular food, politicians don’t sojourn a diner to conscionable the public, they devour escamoles and portion pulque astatine the mercado. (Juan Pablo Zamora Pérez/Cuartoscuro)

If you person much time, I impulse you to sojourn the authorities of Hidalgo, wherever astir each edifice successful play serves a delicious accepted crockery of escamoles.

Final crushed to devour escamoles 

Escamoles are an fantabulous root of protein, containing much than your mean macromolecule shake. In fact, 100 grams of escamoles supply astir 45 grams of protein, surpassing the macromolecule contented recovered successful beef oregon chicken. Additionally, they are affluent successful B-vitamins, iron, calcium and phosphorus, each of which beforehand bony and encephalon health.

Did I person you? 

Amigos, I recognize — eating insects isn’t for everyone. It tin beryllium challenging to look down astatine your tortilla and spot a clump of bugs and past unreal it’s the astir appetizing wound of your life. However, I truly promote you to effort escamoles. They lucifer risotto and sensation similar butter. The acquisition isn’t arsenic shocking arsenic you mightiness expect; still, it’s a small spot exotic. 

I’d emotion to perceive your thoughts. Are you consenting to effort them? Have you already tried them? How was it? 

María Meléndez is a Mexico City nutrient blogger and influencer.