What do chapulines taste like?

Chapulines have a crunchy, salty flavour, with smoky notes from the comal, citrusy notes from the lime and spicy notes from the pasilla chilli. Their texture is similar to a dry popcorn, and the touch of garlic brings an umami background. The small ones are milder and the large ones more intense, almost toasted.

How are traditional Oaxacan chapulines prepared?

They are purged in water for 24 hours, rinsed and toasted on a clay comal with crushed garlic, lime juice, ground pasilla chilli and salt. The process takes about 10 minutes until they reach a reddish colour. They are served as a snack, in tacos, guacamole, tlayudas or as a filling in quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese.

Is it safe to eat chapulines?

Yes, provided they are bought in markets or from certified producers in Oaxaca and prepared toasted. Cooking eliminates parasites and reduces allergens. People allergic to crustaceans should avoid them, as they share chitin. The FAO recommends them as a safe and nutritious food within entomophagy programmes.

Where are edible chapulines from?

They are native to the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, where they have been gathered in milpas since pre-Hispanic times. They are also eaten in Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. Their consumption is documented by Sahagún in the sixteenth century and recognised by SADER as a sustainable traditional practice tied to the cultivation of native maize.

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Chapulines: the edible insects that are the emblem of Oaxaca

What is it?

Chapulines are edible grasshoppers of the species Sphenarium purpurascens, gathered in milpas of Oaxaca, Puebla and Tlaxcala. They are eaten toasted on a comal with garlic, lime, pasilla chilli and salt, which gives them a characteristic ruddy-red eye and a crunchy, smoky and slightly citrusy flavour. They are one of the most representative snacks of Oaxacan cuisine and are served in markets such as Benito Juarez, in the state capital, alongside mezcal and pulque. The main season runs from May to October, coinciding with the rainy cycle and the ripening of the milpa, which historically made their gathering a practice of biological pest control in maize, bean and lucerne crops.

Origin and history

Archaeological evidence of chapulin consumption in Mesoamerica goes back to the Formative period, with remains in caves in Tehuacan, Puebla, dated more than 5,000 years ago by the ethnobotanist Richard MacNeish. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, in the Florentine Codex (sixteenth century), describes several species of edible chapulines under the Nahuatl name chapolin (chapol = to jump), noting their consumption as everyday and festival food. Gob.mx and SADER recognise Oaxaca as the leading producer, with more than 350 tonnes a year gathered by hand. Industrialisation is marginal: the gathering is done at dawn, with nets and aprons, by Zapotec and Mixtec families. In the twenty-first century, chefs such as Alejandro Ruiz and Pilar Cabrera have brought them to fine dining, while the chef Olga Cabrera keeps the traditional recipe in the Central Valleys region.

Characteristic ingredients

Sphenarium purpurascens is a grasshopper endemic to Mexico, between 1 and 3 cm. It is classified by size: small (newly born, more tender), medium and large (with wings and a harder exoskeleton). The traditional process involves purging them for 24 hours, toasting them on a clay comal with crushed garlic, lime juice, ground pasilla chilli and worm salt. They provide between 35% and 70% protein by dry weight depending on the stage of development, in addition to iron, calcium, zinc and essential fatty acids, according to studies by INNSZ and UNAM. The small chapulines are used as a snack or as a quesadilla filling; the medium ones in tacos, guacamole and tlayudas; the large ones in moles and stews. In Zaachila and Mitla, salsas of pounded chapulin with tomato and chile costeño are made.

Cultural significance

Chapulines are one of Oaxaca's gastronomic symbols, alongside mole negro and mezcal, and form part of the dossier that led UNESCO to inscribe Traditional Mexican Cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. Their sustained gathering by Zapotec women represents a crucial economic income for rural communities: a gatherer can collect between 5 and 10 kilos a day in a good season. The FAO has highlighted chapulines in its reports on food security and entomophagy (2013), citing them as a model of sustainable protein with a very low ecological footprint compared to livestock. Festivals such as the Feria del Chapulin in Zimatlan and the Guelaguetza include dishes based on this insect, and Oaxacan restaurants have created bottled salsas and chapulin powders that are exported to Europe and the United States.

Related recipes

Now that you know what it is, try cooking it at home with our step-by-step recipes:

Guacamole with Chapulines (Grasshoppers)

Ingredients to cook it

Find where to buy authentic ingredients in Mexican shops in the US:

Chapulines

Frequently asked questions

What do chapulines taste like?: Chapulines have a crunchy, salty flavour, with smoky notes from the comal, citrusy notes from the lime and spicy notes from the pasilla chilli. Their texture is similar to a dry popcorn, and the touch of garlic brings an umami background. The small ones are milder and the large ones more intense, almost toasted.
How are traditional Oaxacan chapulines prepared?: They are purged in water for 24 hours, rinsed and toasted on a clay comal with crushed garlic, lime juice, ground pasilla chilli and salt. The process takes about 10 minutes until they reach a reddish colour. They are served as a snack, in tacos, guacamole, tlayudas or as a filling in quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese.
Is it safe to eat chapulines?: Yes, provided they are bought in markets or from certified producers in Oaxaca and prepared toasted. Cooking eliminates parasites and reduces allergens. People allergic to crustaceans should avoid them, as they share chitin. The FAO recommends them as a safe and nutritious food within entomophagy programmes.
Where are edible chapulines from?: They are native to the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, where they have been gathered in milpas since pre-Hispanic times. They are also eaten in Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. Their consumption is documented by Sahagún in the sixteenth century and recognised by SADER as a sustainable traditional practice tied to the cultivation of native maize.