Escamol

Escamoles cooked in butter

Escamoles al mojo de ajo

Escamoles  eskamo'les  (Nahuatl: azcamolli,^[1] from azcatl (ant) and molli (puree)^[2]) are the edible larvae and pupae of ants of the species Liometopum apiculatum and L. occidentale var. luctuosum.^[3] They are harvested from the roots of the Agave tequilana (tequila) or Agave americana (maguey—mezcal) plants in Mexico. They are most commonly consumed in Mexico City and surrounding areas.^[4] Escamoles have been consumed in Mexico since the age of the Aztecs.^[5][6] They taste buttery and nutty, with a texture akin to that of cottage cheese.^[7]

See also

• Chahuis — the edible beetles of Mexico
• Entomophagy — the human consumption of insects as food
• List of delicacies

References

1. Reyes Castillo, Pedro and Enrique Montes de Oca. "Fauna". In Enrique Florescano, ed. (1997). El patrimonio nacional de Mexico (in Spanish). I. Fondo De Cultura Economica USA. pp. 179–180. ISBN 978-968-16-5452-8.
2. Émile Bergier (1953). Peuples entomophages et insectes comestibles: Étude sur les moeurs de l'homme et de l'insecte (in French). N. Boubée. p. 152.
3. DeFoliart, Gene R. "Insects as food". In Vincent H. Resh; Ring T. Cardé, eds. (2009). Encyclopedia of Insects. Academic Press. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-08-092090-0.
4. Gaso, M.I. et al. "Biological monitoring of radioactivity and metal pollution in edible eggs of Liometopum apiculatum (ants) from a radioactive waste site in central Mexico". In Peter Warwick, ed. (2003). Environmental Radiochemical Analysis II. Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 334–335. ISBN 978-0-85404-618-8.
5. Anthony DePalma (2001). Here: A Biography of the New American Continent. PublicAffairs. p. 268. ISBN 978-1-891620-83-6.
6. Ramos-Elorduy, Julieta and José Manuel Pino Moreno. "El consumo de insectos entre los aztecas". In Janet Long, ed. (2003). Conquista y comida: consecuencias del encuentro de dos mundos (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. pp. 89–90, 94. ISBN 978-970-32-0852-4.
7. Cox, Lauren (May 4, 2010). "Top 5 Disgusting Delicacies". ABC News. Retrieved August 19, 2014.

External links

• Club 700 Hoy video on the harvest of escamoles (in Spanish)
• Julieta Ramos-Elorduy (1998). Creepy Crawly Cuisine: The Gourmet Guide to Edible Insects. Inner Traditions – Bear & Company. pp. 105–110. ISBN 978-0-89281-747-4. (Several recipes for escamoles.)