The mixiotes is the epidermis of a maguey stalk. It is carefully separated from the plant to obtain the thin and translucent membrane. After a process that consists of letting it dry, it is rolled and marketed to Mexican families who usually make a dish with the same name.
Its flexibility is obtained by soaking it in water and proceeding with the preparation of Mixiote. Different meats, sauces and other ingredients are placed on this membrane to wrap it and steam it. The meats that are generally used for the stews are lamb, lamb, rabbit and chicken, together with a chili sauce.
SYNONYMS FOR Mixiote
The transparent white maguey stalk coating is known by the following names:
● Mexiote
● Maguey wafer
Maguey film
In addition, the dish is known according to its variants in terms of main ingredients (meat), as follows:
● Mixiote of lamb
Mixiote of lamb
Mixiote of rabbit
● Sweet mixiote
● mutton mixiote and
● Chicken mixiote.
With exotic varieties such as:
● Squirrel
● Escamoles
● Wild boar
● Deer and
● Crocodile.
ORIGIN OF Mixiote
The word is a noun from the Nahuatl metl meaning maguey and xiotl meaning “strands of tender corn”. The meaning combined with gastronomy is “meat wrapped in maguey strands”. A dish present in the table of all Mexicans since centuries ago.
It is said to have originated in Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Puebla and Querétaro, where the maguey pulquero was and still is cultivated. It was used for steaming by the Aztecs, Mayas and Otomís. Over the years, the dish has gained popularity and is recognized worldwide.
CURIOSITIES OF Mixiote
Maguey stalks are endangered due to the frequency of their use in cooking. For this reason, their sale has been banned in some places.