Trompa de puerco: what the mushroom is and how to cook it

What is it?

The trompa de puerco, also called the lobster mushroom in English, hongo langosta or trompita, is a very peculiar wild edible mushroom belonging to the species Hypomyces lactifluorum. Its distinctive feature is that it is in fact a parasitic fungus that colonises other mushrooms of the genus Russula or Lactarius, completely transforming their shape and giving them an intense, almost red, orange colour, as well as a firm texture and a flavour reminiscent of seafood. It grows in the temperate pine and oak forests of central Mexico, especially in the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Puebla and Hidalgo, where it is gathered during the rainy season between July and October. Its irregular shape, resembling a pig's snout, gives it the popular name trompa de puerco (pig's snout). It is one of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Mexican ethnomycological markets owing to its unique flavour and its seasonal rarity.

Origin and history

The recognition of Hypomyces lactifluorum as a parasitic species of other mushrooms dates from the nineteenth century, when European mycologists began to study it in North American forests. In Mexico, its traditional consumption is documented in the centre of the country by ethnomycologists such as Gastón Guzmán, Roberto Garibay Orijel and Adriana Montoya, who have worked with the Nahua, Otomí, Mazahua and Totonac communities of the highlands. The trompa de puerco appears in rural markets under various regional names: hocico de puerco, trompita, hongo cangrejo or ñoño in Tlaxcala. Although it is not specifically cited in colonial sources such as Sahagún, the mushrooms on which it parasitises (Russula and Lactarius) are, traditionally eaten by the Mexica peoples. The transformation caused by the parasite makes the mushroom firmer and more digestible, removing the bitterness and the cottony texture of raw Russulas. CONABIO and CONAFOR document Hypomyces lactifluorum as one of the most commercially valued Mexican wild edible mushrooms, fetching high prices in rural markets and restaurants.

Characteristic ingredients

Hypomyces lactifluorum is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that mainly infects basidiomycete mushrooms of the genus Russula brevipes and Lactarius. On colonising them, it completely covers their surface with a bright orange to orange-red layer, transforms the gills into a smooth or almost imperceptible surface and hardens the flesh, giving it a firm and compact texture. The resulting fruiting bodies measure between 5 and 15 centimetres, with an irregular shape recalling an animal's snout or, according to others, a split lobster (hence its English name). The inner flesh is white, firm and compact, with a slightly marine or seafood smell. Its cooked flavour is notably different from other mushrooms: slightly sweet, with notes of fresh seafood or crab, and a crisp texture that makes it unmistakable. In highland Mexican cooking it is prepared roasted on the comal with salt, stewed with epazote and lard, in mixiotes with pasilla and guajillo chilli, or sautéed with onion and serrano chilli. In Veracruz it is added to chicken broths, and in Tlaxcala it is stuffed with cheese and batter-fried with egg.

Cultural significance

The trompa de puerco is one of the most characteristic and celebrated wild mushrooms of the central Mexican highlands. Its distinctive shape, striking colour and singular flavour make it a star of the mushroom fairs held annually in towns such as Cuajimalpa, Tlaxco, Senguio, Ozumba, Acaxochitlán and San Juan de las Huertas. Contemporary Mexican gastronomy has rediscovered this mushroom, incorporating it into the menus of fine-dining restaurants such as Pujol, Sud 777 and Quintonil, where its seafood flavour is used for innovative preparations. It is one of the wild mushrooms in the dossier of Mexican gastronomic heritage inscribed by UNESCO in 2010. Economically, the trompa de puerco provides important income to women gatherers from Nahua and Otomí highland communities, fetching prices that can be several times those of other mushrooms owing to its rarity and demand. Research by the Colegio de Posgraduados and INECOL highlights its role in the non-timber forest economy and in the cultural transmission of ethnomycological knowledge.

Frequently asked questions