Baja Window to the South shows new information every week regarding Baja Californian attractions so that American tourists can visit and enjoy their time here. These can range from cultural and artistic aspects to gastronomic ones and sometimes, they can be a little unusual where only the bravest ones will dare venture.

On this occasion, our host Scott Koenig went to Cien Años restaurant where Chef José Sparza told him how in his restaurant they prepare some dishes with Mesoamerican roots. Among these, one of these has edible insects as ingredients.

To show one of the main ways in which this restaurant with 27 years of experience prepares its dishes, José decided to prepare a green sauce with chinicuiles. This sauce has raw Mexican husk tomatoes and then a chili pepper is added (serrano pepper if one wishes it to be spicy or jalapeño if looking for a more herbal taste), and at the end the salt and chinicuiles are added, the amount depending on how intense one wishes the insect flavor to be.

This sauce was tasted with yellow handmade corn tortillas, which gives it a very simple, but unique and delicious flavor. It should be noted that these are a very expensive source of protein since a pound of chinicuiles is priced at around $80 dollars.

Chinicuiles are worms that are obtained from maguey roots. When the plant is dying, it is removed so as to get the worms and who are then left in a saucepan so they can be kept alive with agave pieces to feed off. Chinicuiles must be cooked alive since, according to Sparza, they secrete a specific oil that gives them their flavor.

Click here if you want to watch the complete episode of Baja Window to the South where we discuss this topic!

To find out more about Baja Window to the South follow their social media pages:

Facebook: BajaWTS
Instagram: bajawindowtothesouth
Twitter:BajaWindowToTheSouth
Tik Tok: bajawindowtothesouth
YouTube: Baja Window to the South

Watch this complete segment of Baja Window to the South right here: