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Chapulines, plural for chapulín (), are grasshoppers of the genus ''
In 2007, several American media reported concerns over 
Contaminated chapulines which were found for sale in California were also identified in samples from Zimatlán.International Journal of Epidemiology, December, 2007 Lead levels found in the chapulines were as high as 300 times the maximum recommended lead dose for children under the age of 6 and pregnant women. It was discovered the lead was from bowls used in the seasoning process.
www.oregon.govwww.bugvivant.com/recipe/chapulines-recipe-spicy-chapulines-tostadas/
{{Mexican cuisine Oaxacan cuisine Insects as food Mesoamerican cuisine Mexican cuisine
Chapulines, plural for chapulín (), are grasshoppers of the genus ''Sphenarium
''Sphenarium'' is a grasshoppers genus in the family PyrgomorphidaeCharpentier. 1845. Orthoptera descripta et depicta 841-1845120 pp. indigenous to Mexico. Various species are caught and eaten as chapulines.
Species
* ''Sphenarium adelina ...
'' that are commonly eaten in certain areas of Mexico. The term is specific to Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
and Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, and derives from the Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...
word '' chapolin'' (singular) or '' chapolimeh'' (plural
The plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the ...
).
They are collected only at certain times of year (from their hatching in early May through the late summer/early autumn). They are toasted on a comal
COMAL (''Common Algorithmic Language'') is a computer programming language developed in Denmark by Børge R. Christensen and Benedict Løfstedt and originally released in 1975. COMAL was one of the few structured programming languages that was ...
. Often they are seasoned with garlic, lime juice, chilies and/or salt.
One of the regions of Mexico where chapulines are most widely consumed is Oaxaca
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, population_rank = 10th
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, where they are sold as snacks at local sports events and are becoming revived among foodies. There is one reference to grasshoppers that are eaten in early records of the Spanish conquest, in early to mid 16th century.
Besides Oaxaca, chapulines are popular in areas surrounding Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
, such as Tepoztlán
Tepoztlán () is a town in the central Mexican state of Morelos. It is located at in the heart of the Tepoztlán Valley. The town serves as the seat of government for the municipality of the same name. The town had a population of 14,130 inhabit ...
, Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D.
The na ...
and Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
. They may be eaten individually as a ''botana'' (snack) or as a filling, e.g. tlayuda filled with chapulines. The Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
successfully introduced chapulines as a novelty snack in their 2017 home games.
Health risks
In 2007, several American media reported concerns over lead
Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...
contamination in products imported from Zimatlán, a municipality in Oaxaca, including chapulines. In California, an investigation among community residents in Monterey County showed a larger risk for lead poisoning on people who either were from or reported eating food imported from Zimatlán.
Contaminated chapulines which were found for sale in California were also identified in samples from Zimatlán.International Journal of Epidemiology, December, 2007 Lead levels found in the chapulines were as high as 300 times the maximum recommended lead dose for children under the age of 6 and pregnant women. It was discovered the lead was from bowls used in the seasoning process.
See also
* * * * (''Sphenarium purpurascens''), a grasshopper species found in Mexico and Guatemala *References
External links
www.oregon.gov
{{Mexican cuisine Oaxacan cuisine Insects as food Mesoamerican cuisine Mexican cuisine