Chapulines
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Chapulines are grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium. They are considered a delicacy by many Mexicans. They are collected only at certain times of year (from their hatching in early May through the late summer/early autumn). They are thoroughly cleaned and washed out, then toasted on a comal (clay cooking surface) with garlic and lemon juice and sal de gusano to create a sour-spicy-salty taste. Some people will toast their chapuline with chiles, but most vendors and cooks will tell you that chiles are used to cover for stale chapulines and only show up in the poorest quality grasshoppers. Chapulines are available only in certain parts of Mexico, the state and city of Oaxaca being best known. They are available in varying sizes, small to large. They are known to have been used as food for over 3000 years.
The taste is unique, but not especially strange. They may be eaten individually as a botana (snack) or as a filling, eg: tlayuda filled with chapulines.
Chapulines must be cooked prior to consumption. As with other grasshoppers, they may carry nematodes that can infest human hosts.
The word chapulín for grasshopper is specific to Mexico and derives from the Nahuatl language. In Spain and most Spanish speaking countries, the word for grasshopper is saltamontes or saltón.
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[edit] Lead contamination
Recently concerns over lead poisoning in foods imported to the US from the Zimatlán area of Oaxaca, Mexico, including chapulines, have come to light in public health and media sources[1]. In California, an investigation of lead poisoning among community residents in Monterey County indicated that the largest risk for lead poisoning (defined as having an elevated lead level of 10 ug/dl of blood or greater, as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control) was among residents who were from or reported eating imported foods from the Zimatlan area (compared to residents who were from other parts of Oaxaca, Mexico). Contaminated chapulines were found for sale in the community in California and have also been identified in samples from Zimatlan, Oaxaca [2]. Lead levels in the chapulines have been seen as high as 300 times the maximum recommended lead dose for children under the age of 6 and pregnant women.
[edit] In popular culture
- One of the most famous Mexican comedy characters is The Red Grasshopper, El Chapulín Colorado.
- Chapulines have been featured in PBS cooking/travel programs with Burt Wolf and Rick Bayless.
- The name of the Mexico City landmark Chapultepec Castle derives from a Nahuatl phrase meaning "Grasshopper Hill".
- Chapulines in Oaxaca were featured on the Travel Network show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ American Journal of Public Health, May, 2007
- ^ International Journal of Epidemiology, December, 2007
- ^ Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern: Blogs from the Road. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
[edit] General references
[edit] External links
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