Chicatana sauce
Chicatana ants sauce is a Mexican hot sauce of Mixtec origin, composed mainly of chicatana ants and some dry chili such as costeño or árbol. It also usually contains garlic, onion, tomato, salt and oil, and is traditionally ground in a metate or molcajete.
It is served to accompany tamales, tacos, mole or meats. It is popular to enjoy it in a tortilla with costeño cheese. It is considered a delicacy in the cuisines of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz.
Preparation
Just collected, the ants are drowned in water to die, and are roasted on a comal until golden brown. When they harden, their wings are removed. It is important to remove its wings because they do not grind well. On the same comal, the chilies, garlics and onions are roasted. Some recipes do not roast the garlic and onion, and use them raw.Finally, everything is crushed in a molcajete or metate, or failing that, a blender, although beforehand, the chiles must be rehydrated in a container with water for a few minutes, or otherwise it would be very difficult to crush them. The chili seeds are left or removed according to the diner's taste, if they want it spicy or not. Once crushed, it is corrected for salt and served.