Mexican Name Finder
IngredientNahuatlcentral Mexico

Epazote

"skunk sweat"

Say it

eh·pah·SOH·teh

Built from

ēpatlskunk+tzotlsweat, grime

What Epazote means

Epazote is a Mexican ingredient name of Nahuatl origin meaning "skunk sweat". It is built from ēpatl (skunk) and tzotl (sweat, grime). It is pronounced eh-pah-SOH-teh, and it is most associated with central Mexico.

Named without flattery for its smell. It is the standard herb for black beans and for esquites.

Epazote is one of the many Mexican food words formed in Nahuatl. Spanish borrowed it, and in several cases English borrowed it again from Spanish. See how Nahuatl builds words and the full list of Mexican food names.

This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: The words that appear inside dish names: the chiles (ancho, guajillo, pasilla, chipotle), the corn words (nixtamal, masa, tortilla, elote), and the tools (comal, molcajete, metate). Learn these and most menu items decode themselves.

Share card

Epazote means skunk sweat

Related Mexican food names

  • ChipotleIngredient

    smoked chile

    chee-POHT-lehNahuatl
    chīlli+pōctlicentral Mexico
  • EscamolesIngredient

    ant larvae

    es-kah-MOH-lesNahuatl
    azcatl+mōlli+Spanish -escentral Mexico
  • HuitlacocheIngredient

    corn smut

    wee-tlah-KOH-chehNahuatl
    central Mexico
  • JitomateIngredient

    red tomato

    hee-toh-MAH-tehNahuatl
    xictli+tomatlcentral Mexico
  • NopalIngredient

    prickly pear cactus

    noh-PALNahuatl
    central Mexico
  • TomateIngredient

    husk tomato, tomatillo

    toh-MAH-tehNahuatl
    central Mexico
  • AchioteIngredient

    annatto

    ah-CHYOH-tehNahuatl
    Yucatán
  • AguacateIngredient

    avocado

    ah-gwah-KAH-tehNahuatl
    Michoacán

Browse all Mexican food names, or the name finder for people's names.