Chapulines (Mexican Grasshoppers)

What it is

Toasted grasshoppers seasoned with lime, chili, and salt; the most internationally recognized Mexican insect food and a foundational ingredient of Oaxacan cuisine.

Primarily Sphenarium purpurascens (the Mexican grasshopper), though several related grasshopper and cricket species are sold under the chapulín name in different regions and seasons. S. purpurascens is a relatively small grasshopper, wingless in early instars (the developmental stages most commonly harvested for food), with a mild flavor that takes well to seasoning.

Cultural significance

Pre-Columbian, documented in Aztec codices. The Oaxacan market tradition is central to regional food identity. Chapulines have become an entry point for global engagement with Mexican insect eating, appearing on restaurant menus in the United States, Europe, and beyond — often placed by Mexican and Mexican-American chefs as a demonstration of pre-Columbian culinary heritage.

Protein Content: Approximately 60–75% by dry weight. Significant iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Food uses & preparation

Wild chapulines are collected from fields (primarily corn and alfalfa fields) from approximately May through October, coinciding with the rainy season. Collected insects are cleaned, briefly blanched to ensure food safety, then toasted on a comal — the traditional clay or metal flat griddle of Mexican cooking — without added fat, until crisp throughout. During toasting, fresh lime juice is applied (it steams into the insect, adding acidity and moisture), and dried chili powder and salt are added. The finished chapulines are crisp, intensely savory, sour, and mildly spicy.

Nutty, umami-forward, sour (from lime), mildly spicy. The toasting process develops Maillard reaction flavors that are distinctly savory and slightly smoky. Some preparations add garlic and dried herbs.

Eaten as a standalone snack; used as a taco filling with salsa, avocado, and onion; incorporated into guacamole as a textural and flavor element; used as a topping for tlayudas and memelas; ground into salsas; incorporated into mole sauces as a flavoring component. In modern Oaxacan fine dining, chapulines appear in emulsified sauces, terrines, and composed dishes.

Reference notes

Oaxaca is the center of chapulín culture and consumption. Variations in Guerrero, Puebla, and Mexico City lean toward different chili seasonings. Some preparers add chapulín to mezcal-based cocktails as a garnish. Sal de chapulín — ground dried chapulines mixed with salt and chili — is a condiment variant.

Cuisine tags: Mexican (Oaxacan). Cross-link slugs: oaxacan-cuisine, comal, tlayuda, mezcal, sal-de-gusano, grasshopper, chile-de-arbol. Modifier: Dried, Toasted.

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