What does axayácatl taste like?

It has an intense flavour of dried prawn, algae and salted fish, with umami notes and a damp-earth background. Toasted it becomes crisp like salty popcorn; ground into salsa it boosts the chile pasilla and gives an aftertaste similar to Japanese kombu or katsuobushi thanks 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 the female deposits on aquatic plants. Both are consumed: axayácatl is toasted as a snack or ground into salsas; ahuautle is used as Mexican caviar, in fritters with romeritos during Lent.

How is axayácatl prepared?

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

Where does axayácatl come from?

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

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Axayácatl: aquatic bugs of the Valley of Mexico

What is it?

The axayácatl is the adult aquatic insect of the genus Corisella (mainly Corisella mercenaria and C. texcocana), also called water boatman or aquatic bug of the Valley of Mexico. It lives in brackish, shallow waters of Lake Texcoco, as well as in small bodies of water in Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. It is collected between September and February using fine nets or floating traps; once removed it is dried in the sun and toasted on a comal, giving a crisp texture and a flavour of dried prawn, very saline and umami. Traditionally it is ground into chilli salsas, mixed 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 dietary importance with ahuautle, which are its own eggs.

Origin and history

The axayácatl is among the ancestral foods of the central Mexican highlands. Its name comes from the Nahuatl atl (water) and xayacatl (face or mask), and was shared by one of the huey tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, 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 tianguis of Tlatelolco alongside ahuautle and acociles. The gob.mx portal, in studies by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, identifies it as one of the key lake resources of the Mexica and Otomí civilisations. After the drying of the lake, the communities of San Cristóbal Nexquipayac, Chimalhuacán and Xochiaca preserve the artisanal fishing, although the activity is in critical risk. The UNAM Digital University Magazine documents its nutritional value and the urgent need to preserve 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 their diet of microalgae and brackish zooplankton. They are harvested with mesh scoops or triangular nets, dried in the sun and toasted on a comal until crisp. They are ground with chile pasilla and green tomato to make a very spicy axayácatl salsa, or mixed with beaten egg for fritters that are bathed in mole or chile guajillo broth. They provide 60-70% protein by dry weight, omega-3, iron and vitamin B12, according to nutritional analyses from the Centre for Biological Research of the Northwest. Production is limited to a few hundred kilos a year, which has raised the price in specialised markets in Mexico City such as San Juan or Jamaica.

Cultural significance

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

Related recipes

Now that you know what it is, try cooking it at home with our step-by-step recipes:

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Frequently asked questions

What does axayácatl taste like?: It has an intense flavour of dried prawn, algae and salted fish, with umami notes and a damp-earth background. Toasted it becomes crisp like salty popcorn; ground into salsa it boosts the chile pasilla and gives an aftertaste similar to Japanese kombu or katsuobushi thanks 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 the female deposits on aquatic plants. Both are consumed: axayácatl is toasted as a snack or ground into salsas; ahuautle is used as Mexican caviar, in fritters with romeritos during Lent.
How is axayácatl prepared?: It is dried in the sun, toasted on a comal and served as a snack with salt and lime, or ground into a salsa with chile pasilla, green tomato and garlic. It is also mixed with beaten egg to make fritters that are bathed in red mole or chile broth, a traditional preparation in San Cristóbal Nexquipayac and Chimalhuacán.
Where does axayácatl come from?: It is native to the lakes of the Valley of Mexico (Texcoco, Xaltocan, Zumpango) and to brackish waters of Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. Documented since pre-Hispanic times by Sahagún, its collection continues today in Nahua and Otomí communities in the east of the State of Mexico, where it is maintained as a traditional trade at risk.