Insects used as foodstuff by indigenous groups in Morelos, Mexico

Abstract

Anthropo-entomophagy has been practiced since pre-Hispanic times and today it is still preserved in certain places in Mexico. In addition, indigenous societies recognise the importance of insect consumption as an alternative source to conventional animal protein. In the state of Morelos, for example, insects are a significant part of the traditional diet of the inhabitants of rural areas. Nevertheless, no systematic research has been done to recognise the insect species used nor the aspects related to anthropo-entomophagy. This is the reason why this ethno-entomological research about edible insects was conducted. In this study, there is a report about 61 species of edible insects that are consumed in their different developmental stages in the state of Morelos. Grasshoppers (= chapulines) (Orthoptera) and bugs (= jumiles) (Hemiptera) stand out for their abundance and high degree of acceptance. The ways in which they are prepared and preserved range from rudimentary to highly elaborated, and some date from Mexican pre-Hispanic times.

Taxonomic Analysis of Some Edible Insects From the State of Michoacán, Mexico

“…As compared with other states in relation to the number of species recorded, Hidalgo has 99, Oaxaca 79, Guerrero 50, Estado de México 105, Chiapas 178, and Morelos 61 ( 49 , 50 ). This means that the number of species is higher in Michoacán than in Guerrero and Morelos but lower than in Hidalgo, Estado de México, and Chiapas.…”

Consumers’ acceptance toward whole and processed mealworms: A cross-country study in Belgium, China, Italy, Mexico, and the US

“…Our results confirm that Mexican consumers have the highest acceptance levels of insect-based products among the other five countries investigated, which is understandable considering that Mexico has the largest number of edible species in the world [ 64 ]. We suggest that even though mealworms are not a common edible insect in Mexico and China, the familiarity of these consumers with edible insects [ 16 , 59 , 65 ] has positively influenced their acceptance level to include whole and processed mealworms in the diet. Therefore, we can assume that Mexican consumers in general have a higher acceptance level than the North American and European population (i.e., beyond the countries investigated in our study).…”

“…The high acceptance level in Mexico can be explained by the fact that in this country insects are associated with a positive image since they are a delicacy sold either in local markets or served in high-end restaurants [ 59 , 66 ]. In addition, insects are dishes reserved for special occasions or celebrations and are used in various preparations [ 15 ].…”

“…In addition, insects are dishes reserved for special occasions or celebrations and are used in various preparations [ 15 ]. Furthermore, most edible insect species are highly priced [ 59 , 66 ] and their cost is between 3.5 and 10 times the price of chicken or pork meat.…”

“…We initially hypothesized that the acceptance level would have differed within macroregions, especially in sizable countries like China, Mexico, or the US., as differences in entomophagy tradition exist within a country. For instance, in Mexico, the South and Southeast regions are particularly rich in entomophagy traditions, followed by the central part of the country [15,[57][58][59][60][61][62]. However, this difference in entomophagy tradition did not seem to affect acceptance, except for the rejection of processed mealworms in Mexico (Table 2).…”