Whether it’s for personal health or the health of the planet, many people are cutting back on meat. If you’re in the market for an alternative protein for your meatless Monday, foragers in Mexico may have the food for you: grasshoppers.
LA Times foreign correspondent Leila Miller tagged along on a grasshopper hunt and told LA Times Today host Lisa McRee about it.
Insects have been eaten in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. Miller said grasshoppers are one of the most popular options in Mexico because they are high in protein and people enjoy them.
Miller experienced a grasshopper hunt in Santa Maria, Mexico.
“I went out at about 5 a.m. with this group of hunters. There were about six of us in the group. It was completely dark. The hunters had these long rectangular nets that they would swish from side to side to catch the grasshoppers. We go out at night because that’s when the grasshoppers are less jumpy because they don’t have energy from the Sun. We were out there for a few hours, trudging through muddy fields. By the end, the group had a few dozen pounds of grasshoppers,” Miller shared.
Once the bugs are caught, they are cleaned and made ready to sell. A kilo of grasshoppers, which is just over two pounds, can sell for around $12. Grasshoppers have been incorporated into the local restaurant scene.
“In recent years, more gourmet chefs have started offering grasshoppers in their restaurants. You may eat them with guacamole to preserve the flavor. There’s also a pizza restaurant that sells pizza with grasshoppers that I went to in Mexico City. There’s a company that has started selling grasshopper hamburgers, hamburgers made from grasshopper meat. So, there’s all sorts of innovations that are happening right now,” Miller said.
Climate scientists say that switching to eating grasshoppers for protein is a good idea for the planet and they may become more plentiful as climate change worsens.
Click the arrow above to watch the full segment.
Watch "LA Times Today" at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.