When talking about edible insects, Some prefer not to delve into the subject, while others are enthusiastic to add them to the daily diet. There is no doubt that they are important in the country's gastronomy and are rich in protein and nutrients, so consuming them has always been completely favorable and common.
This has always been a controversy, because in many places not It is normal to eat insectsand in fact it is somewhat unhealthy, but in Mexico it is already a tradition that is also documented. For example, in the Florentino Codex by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, he describes, at least, 96 species of edible insects; Also, Hernán Cortés, Bernal Díaz del Castillo and Pedro de Alvarado left writings that described the dishes of Moctezuma II, the Tlatoani that ruled at the arrival of the Spaniards, and in the majority they predominated Some insects such as squamers, jumiles or ahuautlesamong others.
With the passage of time, Edible insects stopped consumedbecause the colonizers campaigned against some typical foods of the region, but some prevailed.
Some of Mexico's edible insects come from pre -Hispanic era.Arturo Peña Romano Medina / Getty Images.
How many types of edible insects are in Mexico?
Globally there are more than 2000 species of edible insectsbut Mexico has most of them; that is, 549 species. This means that almost a third of the total Early insect species It is found in our country. Most insects are found in the southern, central and southeast states of the country.
Some of them are more common than others such as Chapulines, Maguey worms, jumiles or escamoles; while others are more exotic such as aphids or butterflies, even flies. These are usually more difficult to get because they are not so common and make it more expensive, which makes them an exotic food.