grasshoppers as food in oaxaca

Question

In Oaxaca we ate tiny dried grasshoppers that were caught in the alfalfa fields. We sprinkled them on cereal, on salads, and on soup. Or we just popped a finger pinch into our mouths. They are a deep red orange. What is the word given to them when they are in this form?

Answer 1

In a Oaxacan restaurant in Mérida they were called chapulines. I tried one to be polite to my hosts but found that I loved them. They were fried (or toasted?) with a yummy coating of spice. They're in the upper left corner of this photo (and in the close-up) between the scallion and salchica.

Thanks much. Yes, they are yummy. I had mine in Oaxaca, Oaxaca. They were about 1 cm long -- very small. - islandjoan, Aug 9, 2011

Answer 2

In spanish or in english?

chapulines is the grasshoppers you eat. I have also heard them called grillos (which is not actually correct, grillos are crickets, but they seem ok to call them that none-the less) or saltamontes.