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Tacos de jumiles

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Jumiles, Tacos de chinche de monte, Stink bug tacos

Tacos de jumiles are tacos of jumiles, small stink bugs gathered in the hills of Guerrero and Morelos and eaten roasted, ground into salsa or even alive. They are most closely associated with Taxco, where an annual pilgrimage to the Cerro del Huixteco celebrates them.

Contents
  1. Jumiles
  2. Taxco and the Huixteco
  3. Eating jumiles
  4. Recipe
  5. Reviews
  6. See also
  7. References

Jumiles

The Larousse dictionary of Mexican gastronomy describes jumiles as several species of field or forest stink bugs of the family Pentatomidae, just under a centimeter long, yellowish to greenish with small brown spots, and fitted with glands that release a strong-smelling oily liquid. Vámonos to Mexico lists the alternative names chinche de monte, xumil and xotlinilli and attributes their earthy, cinnamon-like flavor to a diet of oak stems and leaves. México Desconocido notes that they are an emblem of Guerrero and that admirers credit them with aphrodisiac powers, a claim the writer doubts.

Taxco and the Huixteco

Jumiles live under the leaf litter of the Cerro del Huixteco, the highest peak of the Sierra de Taxco, where there is a shrine known as the Templo del Jumil. México Desconocido describes an annual climb to gather them on the first Monday of November and a pre-Hispanic belief that the insects are the souls of the dead returning from the underworld to visit their families; people coming down the hill are jokingly asked whether they are 'bringing the family'. Vámonos to Mexico places the jumil fair in October and says the insects are available in Taxco year-round, while México Desconocido's roundup of edible insects gives a collecting season from November to February. Sources therefore differ on the exact timing.

Eating jumiles

Jumiles are famous for being eaten alive. México Desconocido describes about fifteen live insects tucked into a single taco, others crushed alive in a molcajete with chiles, tomatoes and garlic to make a pungent salsa, and others roasted to season dishes. Larousse describes the insects roasted and ground with roasted tomatoes and green chiles for salsa, added to guacamole and rice, or served in corn tortillas as tacos. Vámonos to Mexico adds that they can be eaten raw, roasted, or ground with salt and pepper into a powder, and recommends eating wild ones quickly because their defensive secretion can turn unpleasant. Traditionally live jumiles are kept in clay pots sprinkled with water.

Recipe

Makes Salsa for 8 tacos · Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup jumiles (live or frozen)
  • 3 green tomatoes (tomatillos), husked
  • 2 serrano chiles
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • A few epazote leaves (optional)
  • Salt
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • Guacamole (optional)

Steps

  1. Roast the tomatillos, chiles and garlic on a comal until blistered and soft.
  2. Toast the jumiles on the comal for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
  3. Grind the garlic, chiles and salt in a molcajete, then add the jumiles and grind to a coarse paste.
  4. Add the tomatillos and onion and crush into a chunky salsa; stir in epazote.
  5. Spoon the salsa into warm tortillas, alone or over guacamole.

This is the cooked version; in Taxco jumiles are also crushed raw or eaten alive in tacos.

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Jumil". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Jumiles, insectos comestibles de Taxco que se cree vienen del inframundo". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. "Jumiles: A Unique Mexican Food Tradition". Vámonos to Mexico. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  4. "5 insectos comestibles que amamos los mexicanos". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Guerrero cuisine Insect tacos Pre-Hispanic cuisine Taco types