A mezcal worm is an

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

found in some types of

mezcal Mezcal (, ), sometimes spelled mescal, is a liquor, distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. Agaves or magueys are endemic to the Americas and found globally as ornamental plants. The ''Agave'' genus is a member of the Agavoid ...

produced in

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The larva is a red maguey worm, the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

of the ''

Comadia redtenbacheri ''Comadia redtenbacheri'' is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded in Mexico and southern Texas. The moth was first named in 1848 by Austrian entomologist Carl Eduard Hammerschmidt (1800–1874) ...

'' moth, usually called or ("red worm"). The red worm is typically considered tastier than a white maguey worm.

History

Although the custom is relatively recent, larvae are used by several brands of mezcal to give flavor to the drink. In 1950, Jacobo Lozano Paez first introduced the practice of adding larvae to mezcal.

Other kinds of worms

The other variety of "worm" in mezcal is the

of a

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...

known as ''picudo del agave'', ''

Scyphophorus acupunctatus ''Scyphophorus acupunctatus'', the sisal weevil or agave weevil, is a species of polyphaga beetle of the family of the Curculionidae The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of th ...

'', the agave snout weevil, that infests certain species of

yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...

and

maguey Maguey may refer to various American plants: * Genus ''Agave'', especially ** Species ''Agave americana ''Agave americana'', commonly known as the century plant, maguey, or American aloe, is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Asp ...

. They are not related to edible

maguey worm Maguey worms (, ; ) are either of two species of edible caterpillars that infest maguey plants (''Agave americana'' and '' Agave tequilana''). White maguey worm The white maguey worms, known as ''meocuiles'', are caterpillars of a butterfly com ...

s. The weevil is a pest that can severely damage

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...

plants by eating the plant to death from the inside. If only a few infest the plant, they can still carry and infect the plant with harmful

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

leading to plant death. In some cases, up to 40% of a maguey harvest has been lost to weevil infestations. Infection-resistant varieties of the plant are being developed. ''Picudo'' larvae may be roasted and eaten; they are a seasonal specialty of markets in southeastern Mexico.

References

Insects of Mexico Insects as food Mexican cuisine

Worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateria, bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limb (anatomy), limbs, and usually no eyes. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine ...

Larvae Insect common names {{mexico-cuisine-stub

History

Other kinds of worms

See also

References