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.
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. They're very nutritious and a great source of protein, while the flavor is often compared to pork rinds.
Chapulines are edible grasshoppers that are thoroughly cleaned, toasted on a hot clay griddle, and heavily seasoned with garlic, lime juice, and salt. Walking through a bustling regional market in Oaxaca, you will easily spot these deep red, crispy insects piled high in massive woven baskets. Vendors sell them by the scoop, handing them over in small paper cones to be eaten straight away as a crunchy, high-protein snack. Beyond serving as street food, these toasted insects function as a highly versatile ingredient in many different meals. They get folded into warm corn tortillas with a scoop of fresh guacamole, scattered over massive, crispy tlayudas smothered in melted cheese, or ground directly into fiery salsas to add an earthy, savory depth. Transforming the raw insects into a safe, shelf-stable snack requires a very specific cooking process. After being caught in wild alfalfa fields, the live grasshoppers are soaked in clean water to rinse off any dirt or other impurities. Once washed, they are tossed onto a screaming hot comal—a flat clay or cast-iron griddle. The intense heat instantly neutralizes the insects, firms up the interior, and evaporates their internal moisture. As they toast, generous amounts of fresh lime juice, smashed garlic cloves, and coarse salt are thrown onto the griddle. The grasshoppers absorb these acidic, savory liquids, becoming completely brittle and taking on a dark, rusty red color. Flavor profiles and textures shift considerably depending on the specific harvest and the chosen spices. The smallest, youngest grasshoppers offer a delicate, incredibly crispy texture that shatters instantly, while the fully mature adults provide a much denser, meatier chew. Some spice blends rely exclusively on mild dried chilies for a gentle warmth, while other batches feature an aggressive coating of sal de gusano—a pungent, smoky salt blended with ground, toasted agave worms. The practice of harvesting and eating these insects dates back thousands of years to pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, long before European livestock arrived in the Americas. Indigenous groups recognized the dense swarms not as crop-destroying pests but as a crucial, readily available source of daily protein and essential vitamins. Catching them remains a seasonal, labor-intensive task. Harvesters head into the tall grass at dawn, swinging large sweep nets to capture resting insects before the morning sun warms them and they fly away.
Also known as caviar of the desert, escamoles is an unusual Mexican dish consisting of ant larvae that is usually fried with butter, onions, and chili. The ants are known as Liometopum apiculatum, velvety tree ants, and la hormiga pedorra, meaning the farty ant. The dish was considered a delicacy by the Aztecs, and its high price today also reflects that train of thought. Escamoles can often be found in tacos or omelets, although the dish can be served on its own, when it is traditionally accompanied by tortillas and guacamole.
Chinicuiles is a Mexican dish prepared with maguey worms that infest the root of the maguey and agave plants before they're harvested for human consumption. They're traditionally harvested in Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. These worms are the same ones that can be found at the bottom of a mezcal bottle. They are red, fleshy, and very nutritious, containing high amounts of protein. The worms can be roasted or deep-fried, and they are usually served in a warm tortilla with green tomatoes, lime, chili, and salt. Chinicuiles can often be found in Oaxaca's markets. The flavor is nutty, compared to pork cracklings.
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. Jumiles are especially popular in Taxco.
Beondegi is a classic South Korean street food consisting of silkworm pupae insects. These tiny animals are usually boiled or steamed and then seasoned before they are served in small cups. Although of an acquired taste, beondegi is available at numerous street stalls throughout the country, while the canned version is occasionally found in supermarkets. Some restaurants even serve the insects as a side dish. Beondegi became a popular option during Korean War when food was scarce, and there was a shortage of protein-rich ingredients.
Beondegi soup is a Korean soup made with silkworm pupae as the key ingredient. In order to prepare it, the silkworm pupae is marinated in sweet soy sauce, then boiled for a long time in water. The aromas are distinctive, pungent and earthy, making the dish recognizable from a few meters away. The pupae can be on the softer or harder side, and as they're chewed, they pop in the mouth, squirting bits of their juices. The soup has a savory and sweet flavor with hints of soy sauce. In Korean pubs, beondegi soup is often served with alcohol on the side, and there's also a canned version of the dish which can be found in most supermarkets.
Hormiga culona are world famous fat-bottomed ants, an unusual delicacy from the department of Santander in Colombia. Originally harvested by the Guane Indians as a protein source, today it takes about five hours to gather the ants from their nests in springtime. Their bottoms get soaked in salted water, then they are fried for about 45 minutes and strained, while the wings get removed by hand. The snack is sold on numerous street corners, made with the addition of wine, or toasted with salt, while some upscale restaurants make their own gourmet versions of the dish. Providing a unique taste and flavor of Colombia, ants' bottoms can get seriously expensive due to the fact that they come out of their nests for only one or two days in a year, during the rainy season. They taste like peanut shells, salty and crunchy, and are sometimes also compared to pork rinds. The ants are large and always female, while some believe that they have aphrodisiacal properties, so hormiga culonas are sometimes even given as a wedding gift. Although it is an unusual food, the ants are believed to prevent high cholesterol in blood and are full of protein and Vitamin B, making it an unusual, yet healthy snack.
Hon mhai is a traditional insect dish that's especially popular in Bangkok. It's made by deep-frying silk worms, then seasoning them with salt, pepper, and sometimes a secret sauce that's prepared by the vendor, because the snack is usually sold from street carts. Once fried, the silk worms turn crunchy and greasy, while the flavor is sometimes described as slgihtly bitter. Hon mhai silk worms are prized because they're rich in protein and some believe that they have medicinal properties.
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