''Mojojoy'' or ''Chontacuro'' is the name of

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

of different palm weevils found in the

Oriente (Ecuador) thumb The Oriente () is a region of eastern Ecuador, comprising the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and the lowland areas of rainforest in the Amazon basin. Location It is bordered on the north by San Miguel and Putumayo rivers and on t ...

and the

Amazon region of Colombia Amazonía region in southern Colombia comprises the departments of Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo and Vaupés, and covers an area of 483,000 km2, 35% of Colombia's total territory. The region is mostly covered by ...

, eaten as food and known as a pest for various palm species. In

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, it is known as ''suri'' or ''cocotero''. The flavor has had different descriptions including resembling the taste of

hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to ...

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

. It is also considered a

sustainable food A sustainable food system is a type of food system that provides healthy diet, healthy food to people and creates sustainable environmental, economic, and social systems that surround food. Sustainable food systems start with the development of Su ...

source.

Characteristics

They are the larvae of ''

Ancognatha scarabaeoides ''Ancognatha'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are more than 20 described species in ''Ancognatha''. Species These 22 species belong to the genus ''Ancognatha'': * '' Ancognatha atacazo'' (Kirsch, 1885) * '' A ...

'' and ''

Rhynchophorus palmarum The South American palm weevil, ''Rhynchophorus palmarum'', is a species of snout beetle. The adults are relatively large black beetles of approximately one and a half inch in length, and the larvae may grow to two inches in length. Biology an ...

'' which are considered pests that can attack crops, destroying them partially or totally, or affecting them from the

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

. The weevils burrow into the '' aguaje'' tree, lay eggs, and after hatching, the grubs feed on the oily

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

. It is speculated that the fatty flavor comes from this.

Consumption

It can be eaten alive or prepared by different methods of cooking; most commonly they are

roasted Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelizat ...

or fried,

grilled Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...

on a

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...

, or stuffed with

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

. To eat raw, the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

, pincers, and

intestines The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

are removed and the contents are sucked out. It can be prepared in the ''

anticucho ''Anticuchos'' (singular ''anticucho'', Quechua 'Anti Kuchu', '' Anti'': 'Eastern region of the Andes' or 'Eastern native ethnicities', ''Kuchu'': 'Cut'; Quechua for 'Anti-style cuts', 'Eastern-style cuts') are popular and inexpensive meat dishes ...

'' style, which is grilling after

marination Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a Seasoning, seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. This sauce, called the marinade, can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine), or enzymatic (made with ...

. ''Chicharrón de suri'' is a dish where the grubs are seasoned with

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, then fried with green plantains.

Nutrition

The larvae are a good source of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, vitamins A and E, and beta-carotene.

References

{{reflist Colombian cuisine Larvae Ecuadorian cuisine Peruvian cuisine