Maguey mushroom: what it is, season and how to cook it

What is it?

The hongo de maguey, also known as gachupín, gachupines or setas de maguey, is a wild edible mushroom that grows exclusively on the dead or decaying leaves (pencas) of magueyes (Agave) and prickly pears (nopal). It belongs to the species Pleurotus opuntiae, a fungus of the oyster mushroom genus adapted to the ecosystem of the succulent plants of the Mexican highlands. It is gathered in states such as Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla and the State of Mexico, where the cultivation and use of the pulque maguey has centuries of tradition. Its alternative name, gachupín, comes from its shape, which recalls a three-cornered hat similar to the one worn by peninsular Spaniards in the colonial era. It is one of the few mushrooms directly associated with the maguey, which links its gathering to the traditional cultivation and management of agave for the production of pulque, an ancient Mexican fermented drink.

Origin and history

The hongo de maguey forms part of the rich ethnomycological heritage linked to maguey cultivation in the central Mexican highlands. The Otomí, Nahua and Mazahua peoples of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala have for centuries made use of the maguey ecosystem, not only for its leaves, its aguamiel and its flower stalks, but also for the organisms that live in it, among them the gachupín, the maguey worm and the chinicuiles. Sahagún, in the Florentine Codex, records the complex use of the meyetl or maguey in Mexica cooking. Various ethnomycological studies, such as those published in the Revista Etnobiología and the research of the UNAM Institute of Ecology, document traditional knowledge about the hongo de maguey in areas such as Apan, Tepeapulco, Singuilucan, Calpulalpan and Huamantla, emblematic pulque-producing areas of the highlands. The name gachupín also reflects a Mexican cultural metaphor: indigenous cooking appropriated the colonial term to name a mushroom associated with a deeply Mesoamerican crop, turning it into a culinary nod to mestizaje.

Characteristic ingredients

Pleurotus opuntiae is a saprophytic basidiomycete fungus that grows on decaying maguey or nopal leaves, mainly during the rainy season. Its fruiting bodies measure between 5 and 15 centimetres in diameter, with an ear- or shell-shaped cap, ranging in colour from creamy white to yellowish beige. The surface is smooth, the gills are white and decurrent, and the stem is short or almost absent. The flesh is white, firm and has a characteristic aroma of fresh maguey, vegetal and slightly sweet. The gathering season is short, generally between July and September. In the traditional cooking of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala it is prepared roasted in a maguey leaf with salt, guajillo chilli and lard; stewed with epazote and onion; in mixiotes wrapped in maguey leaf with xoconostle and pasilla chilli; or in blue-masa quesadillas. It is also added to lamb barbacoa and to regional soups. Its unique flavour, tied to the maguey substrate, makes it unmistakable and highly prized in Hñähñu (Otomí) and Tlaxcalan cooking.

Cultural significance

The hongo de maguey is a gastronomic emblem of the pulque-producing region of the highlands and a symbol of the integral use of agave in Mexican culture. Its gathering is part of the productive system of the pulque maguey, declared in various states to be Cultural and Biocultural Heritage, especially in Hidalgo and Tlaxcala, where pulque haciendas and Otomí communities have preserved the cultivation for centuries. The FAO and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have highlighted the maguey as a strategic crop for food security and the biocultural heritage of the highlands. The gachupines appear in traditional festivities and in the culinary offerings of magical towns such as Real del Monte, Huasca de Ocampo and Mineral del Chico (Hidalgo), where they are prepared in traditional cooking restaurants. Contemporary Mexican cuisine, in restaurants such as Pujol or Quintonil, has incorporated the hongo de maguey into signature menus, reaffirming its place within the intangible heritage recognised by UNESCO in 2010.

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