Tacos de hongos
Tacos de hongos are tacos filled with cultivated or wild mushrooms, most often oyster mushrooms (setas), sautéed with onion and chile or cooked in an al pastor-style adobo; they are a seasonal and vegetarian staple of central Mexico.
Mushroom season
Mexico has a deep tradition of eating mushrooms, and it peaks with the summer rains. Food and Pleasure explains that wild mushrooms appear in the country's pine and oak forests between July and October, with August and September the high point, a season that has picked up the playful nickname Hongosto, from hongo and agosto. The same piece lists a remarkable range of edible species gathered in central and southern Mexico, among them yemita, clavitos, escobeta, oreja de puerco, pancita and the blue quexque.
Mushroom towns hold fairs and guided foraging walks during the season. Food and Pleasure highlights Senguio in Michoacán, which holds an annual mushroom fair in August, San Miguel Canoa on the slopes of La Malinche in Puebla, Nanacamilpa in Tlaxcala and Cuajimoloyas in the Zapotec highlands of Oaxaca, where mushrooms go into quesadillas, soups with epazote, tamales and stews with pasilla chile.
Setas
Outside the rainy season, the everyday taco mushroom is the seta, the cultivated oyster mushroom, sold year-round in markets. Posta notes that setas are a favorite of people who do not eat meat. In home cooking, a plain sauté with onion and chile is the simplest way to use them.
A popular modern variation treats setas like al pastor pork. A recipe from Profeco, Mexico's consumer protection agency, published by Posta, marinates shredded setas in a blend of guajillo chile, achiote, garlic, cumin, oregano, cider vinegar and orange juice, cooks them until browned and serves them on small tortillas with grilled pineapple, onion, cilantro, radish and an avocado salsa verde.
Safety
Food and Pleasure warns that wild mushrooms should never be gathered or eaten without an expert, since some species are deadly. Buying from experienced market vendors or foraging guides is the safe route.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g oyster mushrooms (setas), torn into strips
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Marinade: 1 guajillo chile (seeded, soaked), 1/4 onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon achiote paste, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 4 slices fresh pineapple
- 12 small corn tortillas
- Chopped onion and cilantro, sliced radish, salsa verde
Steps
- Blend all marinade ingredients until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a wide skillet over high heat and cook the sliced onion 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook until lightly browned.
- Pour in the marinade and cook, stirring, until the liquid has reduced and the mushrooms are glazed and browned at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Grill or pan-sear the pineapple until caramelized, then dice.
- Warm the tortillas and fill with mushrooms. Top with pineapple, onion, cilantro, radish and salsa verde.
For a plain version, skip the marinade and sauté the setas with onion, garlic, serrano chile and a sprig of epazote.
Where to try it
- 8 Regiones Comida Oaxaqueña, Port Hueneme, California
- La Cheve Bakery & Brews, Napa, California
- Mother's Tacos, Napa, California
Reviews
Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.
See also
References
- "Prepara unos tacos de setas al pastor por 100 pesos, según Profeco". Posta. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tamales de huitlacoche y quesadillas de hongos en estos pueblitos del bosque mexicano para disfrutar 'Hongosto'". Food and Pleasure. Retrieved 2026-10-10.