Chapulines?
Yes, Jane and I sampled them and pronounced them edible.
They are exactly what they look like: insects. Fried crispy and salted, they are
available for fifteen Mexican pesos a cup. The flavor is distinct. I could make
a meal of them if driven by hunger.
According to Wikipedia,
chapulines, plural for chapulín, are grasshoppers that are
commonly eaten in certain areas of Mexico. The term is specific to Mexico and
is from the Natuatl, the indigenous
language of that region.
They are collected only at certain times of year (from their
hatching in early May through the late summer/early autumn). After being
thoroughly cleaned and washed, they are toasted on a comal (clay cooking surface) with garlic, lime juice and salt
containing extract of agave worms,
lending a sour-spicy-salty taste to the finished product. Sometimes the
grasshoppers are also toasted with chili, although it can be used to cover up
for stale chapulines.
One of the regions of Mexico where chapulines are most widely consumed is Oaxaca where they are sold as snacks at
local sports events and are becoming a revival among foodies. It's debated how
long chapulines have been a food
source in Oaxaca. There is one reference to grasshoppers that are eaten in
early records of the Spanish conquest, in early to mid 16th century.
Health risks
Chapulines must be
very well cooked prior to consumption, because, as with other grasshoppers,
they may carry nematodes that can infest humans.
Read more about Mexico’s fascinating world of exotic eating
experiences that tourists miss most in the books: Yucatán’s Magic, Mérida Side Trips and Yucatan for Travelers – Side Trips: Valladolid to Tulum, available
in paperback and digital editions worldwide.
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