The worm in the bottom of mezcal has a very special purpose and you’ll never guess what it is.

Once upon a time, it seemed like mezcal was doomed to forever live in the shadow of tequila’s popularity. At that time, Graciela Angeles, part owner of Mezcal Real Minero, told the San Diego Tribune, “If there is no worm, there will be no sales.” Thankfully farmers proved that the worm didn’t diminish the quality of mezcal, and so they won the right to keep their worms in mezcal. Second advice? The piñas are then cooked for two or three days. Let’s take a quick look at some of these questions. The worm isn’t technically a worm. It is mezcal or mescal. Tequila comes from Jalisco, while mezcal comes traditionally from the state of Oaxaca and some regions of Guerrero and Michoacan. The weevil is a pest that can severely damage agave plants, by eating the plant to death from the inside. However, under Mexican law the only distilled liquor of the agave plant that can be called tequila is the liquor distilled from the blue agave plant.

You can really taste the terroir in every sip. People would buy it in bulk. He placed a worm in each bottle as a marketing strategy and over time, other manufacturers followed suit due to its popularity. According to Anthony Dias Blue's Complete Book of Spirits, that "worm" is actually a larva from one of two types of moths, known as maguey worms, that live on the agave plant. This particular agave plant grows in Jalisco, Mexico. According to a colleague, it tastes like chicken. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Both spirits are made by distilling the agave plant, but while mezcal can be made from a blend of one of 250 types of the cactus-like succulents, to be classified as tequila, a bottle must be at least 51% blue agave (agave tequilana)-the higher the percentage of blue agave, the finer the bottle. are being planted in the Gracias a Dios palenque (the term used for agave fields) in Oaxaca. Salud! We'll send you an email once a week with only the best stuff we put out. ", More from Delish: Cinco de Mayo Cocktail Menu. When you buy mezcal, you have to look out for the following words in the bottle: When traditional mezcal makers, maestros mezcaleros, were approached by new companies to develop their product into something more marketable, differences between production methods began to be notices. Consuming the worm after drinking mezcal is a popular tradition among many communities, but it is not clear where the tradition originated. People love to eat the worm live or roasted. Pour mixture over ice in an oversized glass for two. There are lots of conflicting reports on the actual purpose of the worm. We got you! This is the right question! According to Latin American Insects and Entomology, Aztecs collecting sap from the agave were aware of the red and white varieties of the worms. Nacional Vinicola (NAVISA) was the first company to add a worm to its Gusano Rojo mezcal. It is a tasty snack in parts of Mexico. Mezcal has expanded into the European and Asian markets at a fast pace. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. Read the whole story at Slate. And the gusano blanco, the white caterpillar, transforms into the Aegiale hesperiaris butterfly — a.k.a the tequila giant skipper. Contrary to the popular belief, tequila doesn’t actually contain the worm. Andres Paniagua and Jacobo Lozano, creators of Gusano Rojo and Dos Gusanos, first introduced the practice of adding larva to mezcal. Delivered every Friday. edit: If you want to eat the mezcal worm in the mezcal bottle you chew then swallow. Depending on who you ask, the worm has the powers of an aphrodisiac, can make you hallucinate, or will make you look hella dope in front of your friends. For all the over-achievers out there, you can always find a bottle of scorpion mezcal (yes, you read that correctly). Shake the mixture together. Here, here! The agave hearts, or piñas, are slowly grilled over hot rocks in a cone-shaped pit. . The red worm comes from larva from the Comadia redtenbacheri or Hypopta agavis moth. Mezcal is made from up to 28 different varieties of agave, while tequila can only be produces using blue agave. In some cases, up to 40% of a maguey harvest has been lost to weevil infestations. The other variety of "worm" in mezcal is the larva of a weevil known as picudo del agave, Scyphophorus acupunctatus, the agave snout weevil, that infests certain species of yucca and maguey. Recuerdo Mezcal is great in COCKTAILS but we tend to like it neat or, why not, alongside a cool crisp beer. . ", More from Delish: Top 10 Cinco de Mayo Foods. Would you do it? Others believe that consuming the worm may cause hallucinations or increase your state of drunkenness… but is it true? Yep, add a tasty, wiggly snack – the Red Maguey Worm.

We saw this happen with tequila production many years ago, and unless business practices change, mezcal may face the same fate.

Yes, the traditional and best way to enjoy it is with a side of sliced oranges and sal de gusano, which is a mix of salt, dry chili and crushed worms. For everything good, mezcal”. When a bottle of mezcal contains a worm, the mezcal is described as being con gusano, or "with worm" in Spanish. we are almost finished the whole bottle and the decision to eat the scorpion will have to be made pretty soon. Look at these two gorgeous ladies bottling mezcal by hand. But trends are changing, Slate reports, and mezcal is slowly becoming the “it” drink for high end consumers; bottles for mezcal can easily top $100US or more. "The worm is never found in tequila," says Heriberto Oviedo, the tequilier (like a sommelier for tequila) at the Cantina Beach restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL. Would you do it?

As the traditional Mexican saying goes: “For everything bad, mezcal. They are not. It is only in mezcal, a closely related beverage. If the worm stays preserved, then the mezcal is probably quality stuff. I can surely attest to that, especially since it can be delivered to me in 30 minutes by Saucey. So what’s the difference?

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