Escamoles (; nah, azcamolli, from ''azcatl'' 'ant' and ''molli'' 'puree'), known colloquially as ''Mexican caviar'' or ''insect caviar'', are the
edible
An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
e and
pupa
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
e of
ants
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,00 ...
of the species ''
Liometopum apiculatum'' and ''
L. occidentale var. luctuosum''. They are most commonly consumed in Mexico City and surrounding areas. Escamoles have been consumed in Mexico since the age of the
Aztecs
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
. They taste is described as buttery and nutty, with a texture akin to that of
cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keeping ...
.
See also
*
Chahuis
Chahuis or xamoes are the common names given in Mexico to a variety of edible insects within the insect order Coleoptera. The insects' common names in English are often ''sticks worms'', ''rhinoceros beetle'', or just ''grub''.
The ''chahuis'' ...
— the edible beetles of Mexico
*
Entomophagy in humans
Entomophagy in humans or human entomophagy describes the consumption of insects (entomophagy) by humans in a cultural and biological context. The scientific term used in anthropology, cultural studies, biology and medicine is anthropo-entomoph ...
— the human consumption of
insects as food
Insects as food or edible insects are insect species used for human consumption. More than 2,000 insects species worldwide are considered edible. However, a much smaller number is discussed for industrialized mass production and partly regiona ...
*
List of delicacies
References
External links
''Club 700 Hoy'' video on the harvest of escamoles(in Spanish)
* (Several recipes for escamoles.)
Ants
Insects as food
Insects of Mexico
Mexican cuisine
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