Tacos de gusanos de maguey
Tacos de gusanos de maguey are tacos filled with the white caterpillars that live in maguey (agave) plants, fried or toasted until crisp and served in tortillas spread with guacamole. Known in Nahuatl as meocuiles, they are a costly seasonal delicacy of the pulque-producing highlands of central Mexico.
The white maguey worm
The Larousse dictionary of Mexican gastronomy identifies the white maguey worm as the caterpillar of the moth Acentrocneme hesperiaris, known in Nahuatl as meocuil and also called champoloco, palomilla del maguey or peca. It is white with a brown head and legs, measures about 5 to 7 centimeters and lives in the lower leaves of the agave. Larousse gives April and May as the season and names the pulque regions of Hidalgo, Tlaxcala and the State of Mexico as the main areas of consumption, with the worms also eaten in Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Puebla and Mexico City.
The white worm is distinct from the red chinicuil, which lives in the roots. Chilango describes the white mecocuiles as milky white with brownish limbs, found three to five per plant, and Masienda notes that fried or toasted white worms taste like chicharrón.
Harvest and price
Harvesting is done by hand, and Chilango points out that removing the worms kills the maguey; as growers put it, a plant yields either drink or worms. Because the worms are not farmed commercially and some of those extracted are discarded, they are expensive: Chilango reported prices of roughly 2,000 pesos per kilo for white worms, about two and a half times the price of red ones. The magazine also notes an irony: the growing popularity of mezcal reduces the agave population on which the worms depend. México Desconocido adds that the worms come from remote areas, which further raises their cost.
Cooking and tacos
Larousse describes the worms being wrapped in mixiote (the parchment-like membrane of the maguey leaf) and toasted, or fried until crisp and golden, then served in tacos with tortillas spread with guacamole. Chilango gives a typical fry in lard or oil seasoned with salt, onion, garlic and epazote, served in tacos with salsa or guacamole. México Desconocido mentions them al ajillo, fried or in small tacos with guacamole. In Mexico City, Time Out México lists white and red maguey worms with guacamole, totopos and fresh tortillas at La Casa de los Tacos in Coyoacán.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g white maguey worms, cleaned
- 2 tablespoons lard or oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 sprig epazote, chopped
- Salt
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 cup guacamole
- Salsa verde or salsa de molcajete
Steps
- Rinse the worms briefly and pat dry.
- Heat the lard in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the worms and fry, stirring gently, until golden and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the epazote and season with salt; drain on paper.
- Spread warm tortillas with guacamole, top with the worms and add salsa.
Buy worms from trusted vendors; they are seasonal and perishable.
Where to try it
- La Casa de los Tacos, Mexico City: Coyoacán taquería that Time Out México associates with maguey worm and chapulín dishes
- La Casa de los Tacos, Mexico City
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Gusano blanco de maguey". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Gusanos de maguey, protagonistas y homicidas del mezcal". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Sal de Gusano is Mother Nature's Pairing: Salt, Worms and Agave". Masienda. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "5 insectos comestibles que amamos los mexicanos". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "La Casa de los Tacos". Time Out México. Retrieved 2026-10-10.