Why grasshoppers never left the menu in Mexico

Grasshoppers have been on the menu in southern Mexico for thousands of years. But these bugs are more than a novelty. They carry history, nutrition, and economic weight in a way few foods do.

In Oaxaca, chapulines have long been part of daily meals. They’re cheap, easy to catch, and full of protein.

When the rainy season hits in May, they come out in large numbers. People boil them until they turn a deep red, then season them with garlic, lemon, chili, and whatever else is in the kitchen. They’re ready to eat in minutes.

“For tourists, grasshoppers are seen as a delicacy, or a novelty. But for the local residents, it is just food,” said Jeffrey H. Cohen, an anthropologist who’s been studying this tradition for years.

Cohen, a professor at The Ohio State University, writes about this cultural shift in his new book, Eating Grasshoppers: Chapulines and the Women Who Sell Them.

Food that stood the test of time

People in Mexico have been eating chapulines for a long time – long before tacos, chocolate, or even the Spanish people arrived. They’ve stuck around because they’re easy to find and packed with protein.

That started to change when Spanish colonizers introduced their own ideas about what food should be. Suddenly, eating bugs was seen as strange or even embarrassing.

“The Spanish thought of eating grasshoppers (saltamontes in Spanish) as absurd – not as something you would actually eat,” Cohen said.

By the 1920s and ’30s, the Mexican government joined in. Officials started pushing “modern” foods, encouraging people to replace tortillas with bread, and chapulines with beef and pork.

Still, people didn’t stop eating them. Chapulines were affordable and easy to find in nearby fields. More importantly, women selling them at local markets – called chapulineras – were often the main earners in their families.

“The women who sell grasshoppers in local markets have become important breadwinners for their families, earning incomes that can exceed professionals in the cities,” Cohen said.

Women at the center of it all

Chapulineras don’t just sell food – they run the show. They collect, prepare, and market the grasshoppers.

These women know what locals want and how to talk to tourists. During COVID-19, when open-air markets shut down, these women didn’t give up.

“They created a touchless economy using WhatsApp and other messaging services to connect to customers, leaving purchased products outside their houses for pickup. Some also provided no-interest loans to people who could not afford their orders,” noted Cohen.

That kind of hustle kept families going during tough times.

Food for the people, not just foodies

As Oaxaca attracts more tourists, chapulines have taken on new meaning. Visitors want to feel a connection to ancient cultures. Food is part of that.

“For many foodies and other tourists, tasting chapulines becomes a way to experience the past, to feel they are connected to a long exotic history,” Cohen said.

Chapulineras know how to market to these visitors. “These women know how to play to the foodies. They talk about the 3,000-year tradition and how it goes back to their ancestors who lived there,” Cohen explained.

“And they also use more modern pitches. They emphasize nutrition and their high protein content. It really connects to the tourists.”

A steady local market

The women know tourists help, but they don’t rely on them. Their real business is feeding locals, not foodies passing through for a one-time taste.

“The way the women described it to me was that if a tourist comes by and buys a bag of grasshoppers, that’s great, but they are leaving, never to be seen again,” Cohen said.

“What I need to do is sell grasshoppers by the kilo to the people who live here, and if I don’t do that, I’m not going to make enough money.”

Grasshoppers still matter in Mexico

Despite centuries of change, chapulines haven’t lost their place at the table. They’re still filling stomachs, supporting families, and now, sparking curiosity among travelers.

“It still amazes me how much chapulines remain a part of everyday life in Oaxaca and how incredibly important they are to the economy and to the culture of the area,” said Cohen.

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