While visiting rancher José Carlos' maguey (agave) fields, Bizarre Foods' host Andrew Zimmern stumbles upon a rare delicacy: the maguey worm, and a pupa, which is a baby worm, or "a worm on its way to becoming a moth." Zimmern licks the poop from the worm's butt, and, after smaking his lips, dramatically announces that it "has absolutely no taste."
Traditionally, maguey worms are toasted, salted, and eaten as snacks. They were once a crucial protein source for indigenous peoples. Today, red maguey worms are sold by the bag on the side of the highway between the ranch and Mexico City.
The next season of Bizarre Foods, which features Zimmern in exotic locales across the globe, premieres on the Travel Channel on Monday, October 27.
