MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tacos de chapulines is a traditional dish that can be found in the southern parts of the country. The tacos are made by topping small corn tortillas with a combination of grasshoppers, guacamole, pipian sauce, and lime juice. The grasshoppers are cooked in a skillet over medium heat, then sprinkled with lime juice.
The tortillas are placed on a grill or a griddle, then spread with guacamole and topped with the grasshoppers and pipian sauce before serving. It's recommended to try tacos de chapulines in Oaxaca in the summer rainy season, known as tiempos de agua, when chapulines are easily caught.
Chapulines is a Mexican specialty dish consisting of fried grasshoppers, characterized by a crunchy texture and yeasty flavor. The grashoppers are traditionally seasoned with chilis, garlic, and a squeeze of lime juice. They can be used as a filling for tacos, preferrably with some green salsa and onions, or on tostadas with cheese and guacamole.
The dish is a staple in the region of Oaxaca, providing the consumers with inexpensive, yet plentiful doses of protein.
MOST ICONIC Chapulines
Jumiles are Mexican stinkbugs that were consumed since pre-Columbian times as a snack, a medicine, and an aphrodisiac. These bugs are usually toasted in a skillet, then used as a taco filling. They can also be ground and added to salsas or guacamole.
The flavor of jumiles is often described as a mix between mint and cinnamon, somewhat sweet and bitter. In the past, Mexican Indians used them to treat liver, stomach, and kidney problems, but these bugs also have anesthetic and analgesic properties, useful when numbing a toothache.
MOST ICONIC Jumiles
Chicatanas are large Mexican flying ants that appear annually during the first rain of the season because they're trying to flee their flooded nests and search for food sources. In Mexico, people collect them and prepare specialty dishes such as salsa de chicatana, a sauce that's ground in a molcajete with salt, chile de arbol, avocado leaves, and garlic.
The smoky sauce is folded in quesadillas, added to soups, or mixed with eggs. The ants can also be toasted on a comal griddle, then consumed as a snack. When mixed with spices and seasoned with salt, the crunchy chicatanas are often served as an accompaniment to mezcal.
MOST ICONIC Chicatanas
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