A new crunch: How restaurants nationwide are adding insects to the menu, honoring Mexican traditions
By hola | Published | No Comments
Once the initial shock of eight tiny legs passes, what’s left is a taco packed with crunch and tang. Covered in creamy guacamole and fresh cilantro, it tastes like a salt and lime corn chip — brittle, and almost airy. The protein at its center isn’t meat or fish, but chapulines: seasoned grasshoppers now making their way onto menus across the U.S., carrying centuries of Indigenous tradition with every bite.
Washington, D.C.’s Amparo Fondita is one of many Mexican restaurants across the U.S. incorporating insects into their menu. However, consuming insects isn’t a new trend. In regions like Mexico’s Oaxaca state, entomophagy — the technical term for eating insects — is a longstanding practice rooted in cultural identity. Christian Irabien, chef and owner of Amparo Fondita, says he and his team often travel through Mexico to research and find inspiration for their dishes.
“We’ve been able to learn from the communities and from people who have been doing this for generations on generations,” Irabien says.
Irabien’s restaurant aims to reflect Mexico’s culinary history through its menu. As they traveled, his team built relationships with local communities, many of whom now supply the insects featured in their dishes.
The types of insects served at Amparo Fondita vary with the season. Grasshoppers are available year-round, though their size fluctuates. During the rainy months, Irabien says that insects like chicatana ants and red agave worms become more prevalent in Mexico.
Beyond their cultural roots, edible insects also present a sustainable alternative to farming. They require fewer resources and can convert organic waste into nutrient-rich food, according to Arnold van Huis, editor-in-chief of Journal of Insects as Food and Feed.
Compared to cows or chickens, farming insects has a smaller environmental footprint. Irabien says raising livestock requires more land, water and feed, which he and many experts say is unsustainable. Another environmental cost comes from waste, according to Food & Water Watch. The advocacy group says factory farm animals produce an estimated 885 billion pounds of manure each year, polluting the air and water and releasing climate-warming emissions.
Junior Merino, executive chef at M Cantina in Dearborn, Michigan, expresses the same sentiment about the environmental benefits of serving and consuming insects. Since 2017, M Cantina has been serving insects like ants, grasshoppers, stink bugs, agave worms and even “escamoles” — ant larvae also known as “Mexican caviar.”
Merino says he’s surprised by the number of people who order these dishes. “I didn’t think they were going to be as popular as they are, but I think more and more people are becoming more adventurous,” he says.
Merino says that insects also have nutritional benefits comparable to other protein sources. According to a 2019 study, the nutritional value of insects varies with diet, developmental stage and species, but researchers generally agree that insects are rich in protein, fat and vitamins.
On average, the protein content of edible insects ranges from 35%-60% dry weight or 10%-25% fresh weight. At the upper range, insects provide more protein than meat and eggs.
Along with high protein content, taste and texture also make these critters a unique addition to the menu. At M Cantina, Merino says the grasshoppers, seasoned with lime and salt, have a crunchy texture and rich flavor. He also compares escamoles to Rice Krispies with a “buttered popcorn” flavor.
From seat-squirmers to eager adventurers, Irabien sees various reactions from diners in the Dupont Circle area when they see insects on the menu.
“Majority of people who do end up venturing in and trying them, they’re super surprised at how much they actually enjoy them,” Irabien says.
When Travisa Skinner sat down for happy hour at Amparo Fondita, she didn’t expect to look down and see a grasshopper.
“It was a full insect with the legs. That was a shock to me,” says Skinner, a social media influencer invited by Amparo Fondita. “It’s not something that I would typically eat. It was crunchy.”
Civilizations such as the Aztecs, Maya and Mixtecs valued insects for their rich nutritional benefits and regularly included them in their diets. At Amparo Fondita, the servers explain the significance of insect consumption in Mexican heritage and history.
Skinner says that understanding the history of her meal and its relevance to the menu beforehand was helpful since it’s not something she would typically eat. “I don’t think we always think about that,” she says.
For Merino, utilizing these ingredients at M Cantina is a way of honoring his ancestors, a motive that also resonates with Irabien in D.C.
As Mexican restaurants continue to grow and evolve in the U.S., Irabien says more chefs are taking the time to look, learn and go back to traditional customs that predate colonization. Fifteen years ago, he says that only one in 20 customers ordered insect-based dishes. Today, it’s closer to half.
Serving insects is about more than novelty, he adds; it’s a chance to expose people to the true origin of Mexican cuisine and “disrupt the idea that Mexican food is just tacos, quesadillas and burritos, but rather, it’s this very rich culinary landscape.”
“We’re not expecting everybody to jump in at first, but it’s something that we do enjoy eating,” Irabien says. “We just want to share it with those who are open to it.”
– Story by Trinity Orosco
–Copy edited by Kami Waller
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