Muégano: the Mexican sweet of fried dough with syrup

What is it?

The muégano is a traditional Mexican sweet made with small cubes or balls of wheat-flour dough, fried in lard or oil until golden, and subsequently bathed in hot piloncillo syrup that binds them together to form a crunchy lump or block. It is at once crisp from the fried dough and sticky from the syrup, with the intense sweetness of cane and aromatic notes of aniseed or cinnamon. Its origin lies in Tehuacán, Puebla, and in Huamantla, Tlaxcala, two towns with an informal denomination of origin for muégano. It has national fame and is sold at fairs, regional confectioneries and markets, in cellophane bags or individual trays. It is one of the most popular sweets of central Mexico, alongside pepitorias and buñuelos.

Origin and history

The muégano has its roots in the New Spanish convent confectionery of the seventeenth century, when the convents of Puebla and Tlaxcala developed numerous sweets fried with syrup, following Arab-Andalusian recipes adapted to local ingredients. Larousse Cocina notes that the word muégano comes from the old Spanish "muégano" or "mojigango", a term that referred to a dessert of stuck-together fragments. México Desconocido documents that both Tehuacán (the Puebla valley area) and Huamantla (Tlaxcala) claim to be the cradle of the sweet, with traditions documented since the beginning of the nineteenth century. In Tehuacán the variant with aniseed and little balls developed; in Huamantla, the little squares. Historic mueganerías such as Don Pancho in Huamantla maintain century-old recipes. The muégano forms part of the catalogue of typical sweets protected as gastronomic heritage of Puebla and Tlaxcala, and is ritually associated with patron-saint fairs and the Night that Nobody Sleeps in Huamantla.

Characteristic ingredients

The muégano dough is prepared with wheat flour, pork or vegetable lard, egg, sugar, whole aniseed or cinnamon, salt and sometimes tequesquite or baking powder. It is worked until a firm dough is achieved which is rolled and cut into small cubes of 1-2 cm. The cubes are fried in hot lard until uniformly golden and drained. Separately the syrup is prepared by cooking piloncillo with water, a cinnamon stick, orange peel and star anise until obtaining a thick mahogany-coloured syrup. The hot syrup is poured over the fried cubes, mixed quickly and tipped onto a greased table or tray, allowed to cool. As it hardens, the cubes are bound together forming a slab or individual blocks that are cut to taste. Regional variants: in Tehuacán the muéganos contain more aniseed and are shaped into piled-up balls; in Huamantla they are perfect squares; in Tlaxcala versions with sesame are found.

Cultural significance

The muégano is a gastronomic emblem of the state of Tlaxcala and the Tehuacán region of Puebla. In Huamantla, the patron-saint feast on 14 August, known as La Noche que Nadie Duerme (The Night that Nobody Sleeps), draws thousands of visitors who tour the traditional mueganerías and consume the sweet as part of the celebration. The local economy of Huamantla and Tehuacán partly depends on the artisanal production of muégano, sold in decorated bags as a regional souvenir. The sweet is protected in the Catalogue of Typical Sweets of the State of Tlaxcala and features among the expressions of traditional Mexican cuisine recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The muéganero families of Huamantla, some with five generations of tradition, keep the craft alive in the face of industrial competition. The muégano represents accessible popular confectionery: a modest, well-made, deeply identifying product, economically sustainable for small artisanal producers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the muégano of Tehuacán and the muégano of Huamantla?

The muégano of Tehuacán (Puebla) is characterised by little balls or spheres of dough with a pronounced aniseed flavour and is presented piled up in bags. The Huamantla (Tlaxcala) one consists of perfect cubes, with no aniseed or less of it, with notes of cinnamon and is presented in square slabs. Both share the piloncillo syrup but have different shape, aromatic flavour and presentation.

What does a muégano taste like?

It tastes of buttery fried dough with notes of aniseed or cinnamon, coated with caramelised piloncillo syrup with deep, slightly acidic and aromatic sweetness. The texture is crunchy on the first bite and then sticky from the caramel. The sweet-toasted-aromatic balance makes it addictive and very different from sweets based only on refined sugar.

How is a muégano eaten?

It is eaten by taking bites directly from the block or from the individual cubes, normally as a dessert or a snack between meals. It accompanies a café de olla, an atole or a hot chocolate perfectly. At patron-saint fairs it is bought in large bags to share; at regional confectioneries it is sold in individual boxes. It keeps for weeks at room temperature.

Where does the muégano originate?

It originates from central Mexico, specifically from Tehuacán (Puebla) and Huamantla (Tlaxcala), where it has been made since the beginning of the nineteenth century following New Spanish convent recipes of the seventeenth century with Arab-Andalusian roots. Both cities claim to be the cradle of the sweet, and maintain distinctive traditions that coexist in the national gastronomic imagination as regional sisters.