Tecomate: what it is and how it's used in Mexican cooking

What is it?

The tecomate is a wild edible mushroom belonging to the species Amanita caesarea, considered one of the finest and most prized of the Mexican forests. It also goes by the names yema de rey, hongo cesáreo, oronja or oronja de los reyes, the latter in reference to its high status at the ancient Roman table. In Mexico it is called tecomate because of the shape of its orange or golden-yellow cap, which recalls the fruit of the tecomate tree (Crescentia alata). It grows exclusively in temperate oak, pine and fir forests, in mycorrhizal symbiosis with these tree species. It is gathered during the rainy season, from July to October, mainly in states such as the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla and Veracruz. It belongs to the dangerous genus Amanita, which also includes deadly toxic species, so its identification requires expert knowledge. It is an emblematic mushroom of Mexican ethnomycological heritage.

Origin and history

The consumption of Amanita caesarea dates back to Roman antiquity, where it was the favourite mushroom of the emperors, especially Julius Caesar, from whom it takes its scientific name. In Mexico, the pre-Hispanic peoples of the highlands ate edible mushrooms of the genus Amanita, knowledge that has been passed down through generations in Nahua, Otomí, Mazahua and Totonac communities. Sahagún records in the Florentine Codex several nanácatl (mushrooms) eaten by the Mexica, including orange forms that may correspond to the tecomate. The ethnomycologist Gastón Guzmán, founder of modern Mexican ethnomycology, was one of the first to scientifically document the traditional use of A. caesarea in Mexico during the 1960s and 1970s. Later research by Adriana Montoya in Tlaxcala and Roberto Garibay Orijel in the State of Mexico deepened understanding of its cultural and economic importance. The name tecomate is also used for other edible Amanita species such as A. basii (yema de huevo), which shows the complexity of popular nomenclature in different regions of the country.

Characteristic ingredients

Amanita caesarea is a basidiomycete fungus of the family Amanitaceae, with a cap that is convex when young and later flattened, of intense orange to golden-yellow colour, smooth and glossy. It measures between 8 and 20 centimetres in diameter. Its gills are yellow, free from the stem, and the stem is golden-yellow with a characteristic membranous yellow ring and a white volva at the base, remains of the universal veil. This volva is one of the key identifying features of the genus Amanita, which also includes extremely toxic species such as A. phalloides (death cap) and A. virosa (destroying angel), with white flesh and a white volva. Correct identification requires distinguishing the colour of the cap, the gills and the stem. The flesh of the tecomate is pale yellow, firm and aromatic. In the traditional cooking of the highlands it is prepared roasted on the comal with salt and lime, stewed with epazote and lard, in mixiotes with guajillo chilli or batter-fried with egg. In Veracruz and Tlaxcala it is added to soups, masa broths and egg scrambles. Its flavour is delicate, slightly sweet and with notes of nut and butter.

Cultural significance

The tecomate is one of the finest and most representative wild mushrooms of Mexican ethnomycological heritage, part of the dossier of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed in 2010 by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its gathering is a seasonal activity sustained mainly by women gatherers from Nahua, Otomí and Mazahua communities, who sell it fresh in rural markets of the highlands. Wild mushroom fairs such as those of Cuajimalpa, Tlaxco, Senguio, Ozumba, Acaxochitlán and San Juan de las Huertas, held each year between August and September, devote special attention to the tecomate for its gastronomic prestige and its high market price. Contemporary Mexican cuisine in restaurants such as Pujol, Quintonil and Nicos has incorporated it into signature menus for its refined flavour. Research by INECOL and the Colegio de Posgraduados highlights its ecological importance as a mycorrhizal fungus, essential for the health of the oak and pine forests of the highlands, as well as its cultural and economic value for farming communities.

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