Grasshoppers in your tacos? How umami Mexican food staple chapulines are being used in Hong Kong to make food and drinks ‘special’

Chapulines – grasshoppers – are an umami snack long enjoyed in Mexico that are now being used by Hong Kong restaurants and bars to enhance their food and drinks

A bartender shares how he uses chapulines to add ‘another layer’ to his cocktails, while a Mexican chef contemplates the ingredient’s rise in popularity

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Hong Kong Mexican restaurant El Taquero’s taco selection. It has begun serving tacos with grasshoppers, guacamole, pico de gallo and crumbled cheese, and may add the ingredient to other dishes if it catches on with guests. Credit: El Taquero

Published: 6:12pm, 18 Oct 2023Updated: 6:14pm, 18 Oct 2023

Umami has been a term thrown around in the past decade, and while many of us have an idea of what it means, we may be unsure of the exact details.

Often described as the fifth taste, umami encompasses those pleasant savoury flavours that can’t quite be defined as salty, such as in foods high in the amino acid glutamate – think mushrooms, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

A classic example of umami is when you add chopped up anchovies – high in glutamate – to a pasta sauce. The resulting dish isn’t salty, but it just tastes better.

Chapulines – grasshoppers eaten as a snack in Mexican cuisine – are a new umami food that has landed in Hong Kong.

Chapulines, or grasshoppers, at a market in Mexico. Photo: Getty Images

The snack’s origins can be traced back to the 16th century, when grasshoppers were harvested during the summertime rainy season and eaten as a sustainable source of protein.