Tacos de moronga
Tacos de moronga are tacos filled with moronga, a Mexican blood sausage of seasoned pork blood and fat stuffed into intestine, usually sliced and fried with onion and chile or simmered in salsa.
The sausage
Moronga is a blood sausage. ADN40, quoting the Diccionario enciclopédico de la gastronomía mexicana, defines it as intestine filled with pork blood mixed with fat and seasonings, and points out that it resembles chorizo except that chorizo contains no blood. Typical additions include onion, chile and herbs such as mint and oregano. The filled casing is cooked until the blood sets.
The sausage is not native to Mexico. ADN40 explains that it arrived with the Spanish, who brought pigs and the custom of using every part of the animal. In Mexico City it is also called rellena, especially in traditional markets. Pork blood is standard, but ADN40 notes less common versions made with chicken or goat blood in Michoacán and Hidalgo and with beef blood in Oaxaca.
As a taco filling
In central Mexico moronga is most often eaten in tacos. The usual method is to cut the sausage into pieces and fry it with a little oil, onion and salt, often with fresh green chile, until the edges crisp. It can also be simmered in salsa verde or salsa roja, which makes it a common guisado at taco and gordita stands. ADN40 lists salsa verde, onion, nopales and potato as frequent companions.
Yucatán
On the Yucatán Peninsula the sausage is called morcilla, and Por Esto! gives its Maya name as choch. The Yucatecan version is not smoked. It is filled with generous pieces of meat, green onion and mint, then fried in lard with onion and both habanero and xcatic chiles. Por Esto! contrasts this with the Mexico City style, where the stuffed casing is smoked.
Nutrition and safety
Because blood is its main ingredient, moronga is high in iron, and ADN40 reports that it is often recommended as an inexpensive food against anemia. The same outlet also notes protein, B vitamins and minerals, while cautioning about its sodium content and the importance of clean handling and prompt refrigeration of the blood.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g cooked moronga (from a Mexican butcher)
- 1 tablespoon lard or oil
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, sliced
- 4 tomatillos and 1 serrano for a quick salsa verde (optional)
- Salt
- 12 corn tortillas
- Chopped cilantro and onion
Steps
- Remove the casing from the moronga if it is thick, then cut into 2 cm pieces.
- Heat the lard in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and chiles until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the moronga and fry, turning gently, until heated through and crisp at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt.
- For a stewed version, boil the tomatillos and serrano, blend with a little onion and salt, pour over the fried moronga and simmer 5 minutes.
- Serve in warm tortillas with cilantro, onion and more salsa verde.
Moronga crumbles easily; stir it as little as possible.
Where to try it
- Tacos Memo, Mexico City
Reviews
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See also
References
- "¿De qué está hecha la moronga y cómo se prepara?". ADN40. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "¿Es saludable comer tacos de moronga? Esto dicen los expertos". ADN40. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Morcilla, el delicioso platillo yucateco hecho con sangre; ¿la probarías?". Por Esto!. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Moronga". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.