Axayácatl: what it is, taste and how it's eaten

What is it?

The axayácatl is the adult aquatic insect of the genus Corisella (mainly Corisella mercenaria and C. texcocana), also called bird fly or aquatic bug of the Valley of Mexico. It lives in the brackish, shallow waters of Lake Texcoco, as well as in small bodies of water of Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. It is gathered between September and February using fine nets or floating traps; when taken out it is dried in the sun and toasted on a comal, obtaining a crisp texture and a flavour of dried prawns, very saline and umami. Traditionally it is ground into chilli salsas, incorporated into fritters with egg or eaten as a snack alongside pulque and mezcal. It is one of the oldest edible insects of Mesoamerica and shares ritual and food importance with ahuautle, which are its own eggs.

Origin and history

The axayácatl figures among the ancestral foods of the central Mexican high plateau. Its name comes from the Nahuatl atl (water) and xayacatl (face or mask), and was shared by one of the huey tlatoani of Tenochtitlán, Axayácatl (1469-1481), father of Moctezuma II. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, in the Florentine Codex, describes these flies as an abundant food of the lake of Mexico, sold in the Tlatelolco market alongside ahuautle and acociles. gob.mx, in studies by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, identifies it as one of the key lake resources of the Mexica and Otomi civilisation. After the draining of the lake, the communities of San Cristóbal Nexquipayac, Chimalhuacán and Xochiaca preserve the artisanal fishing, although the activity is at critical risk. The Digital University Magazine of the UNAM documents its nutritional value and the urgency of preserving it as an ethnobiological resource.

Characteristic ingredients

The species Corisella mercenaria and C. texcocana are aquatic bugs (family Corixidae) of between 5 and 9 mm, with a flattened body and legs adapted for swimming. Their concentrated flavour is due to a diet of microalgae and brackish zooplankton. They are harvested with mesh scoops or triangular nets, dried in the sun and toasted on the comal until they become crisp. They are ground with pasilla chilli and tomatillo for a very spicy axayácatl salsa, or mixed with beaten egg for fritters that are bathed in mole or guajillo chilli sauce. They provide 60-70% protein by dry weight, omega-3, iron and vitamin B12, according to bromatological analyses by the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste. Their production is limited to a few hundred kilos a year, which has raised their price in specialist markets of Mexico City such as San Juan or Jamaica.

Cultural significance

The axayácatl is a living testimony to the lake culture of the Valley of Mexico, now almost vanished after centuries of draining and urbanisation. It is included within the dossier of Traditional Mexican Cuisine inscribed on the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. The National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples and the Lake Texcoco Management Plan envisage the protection of the ahuautlero and axayacatero trades. Researchers such as Julieta Ramos-Elorduy, a pioneer of entomophagy at the UNAM, extensively documented its cultural and nutritional value. The restaurant Pujol and Quintonil have included the axayácatl on seasonal menus to spread awareness of its importance, while in Texcoco the Fish and Carp Fair is held annually, which includes tastings of fritters and broths based on this insect.

Frequently asked questions

What does the axayácatl taste like?

It has an intense flavour of dried prawns, seaweed and salted fish, with umami notes and a base of damp earth. Toasted it becomes crisp like salty popcorn; ground into salsa it enhances the pasilla chilli and provides an aftertaste similar to Japanese kombu or katsuobushi due to its load of natural glutamates.

What is the difference between axayácatl and ahuautle?

The axayácatl is the adult aquatic insect of the genus Corisella, while ahuautle are the eggs that the female lays on aquatic plants. Both are eaten: the axayácatl is toasted as a snack or ground into salsas; ahuautle is used as Mexican caviar, in fritters with romeritos during Lent.

How is the axayácatl prepared?

It is dried in the sun, toasted on the comal and served as a snack with salt and lime, or ground into salsa with pasilla chilli, tomatillo and garlic. It is also mixed with beaten egg to make fritters that are bathed in red mole or chilli sauce, a traditional preparation in San Cristóbal Nexquipayac and Chimalhuacán.

Where does the axayácatl come from?

It is native to the lakes of the Valley of Mexico (Texcoco, Xaltocan, Zumpango) and to the brackish waters of Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. Documented since pre-Hispanic times by Sahagún, its gathering continues today in Nahua and Otomi communities of the east of the State of Mexico, where it is maintained as a traditional trade at risk.