Toasted Grasshoppers sell out at Seattle Mariners game last week.
In the past few years, stadium cuisine seems to be all of the craze, and one menu item is creating quite a buzz at Safeco Park – toasted grasshoppers. The critters, called Chapulines – commonly eaten in certain areas of Mexico and Central America – were added to concession stand menus for the Mariners home opener. Sounds ambitious, right? They sold out. [gallery size="large" ids="13827,13828,13829"] Word has it that you can opt to fill a taco with the hoppers, or you can have them as a small side in a cup. As for the taste? The general consensus on social media is that the Chapulines at Safeco are limey, spicy, and definitely crunchy. However, the popularity of the grasshoppers may not be all that surprising. Entomophagy, or the human consumption of insects as food, is practiced in 80 percent of the world's nations and it's becoming somewhat of a health fad in the West. Proponents of the practice say that it's a healthy and more sustainable way to add protein to your diet. I suppose they're on to something – grasshopper flatulence doesn't contribute to climate change. Plus, actress Angelia Jolie said her kids regularly consume tarantulas and crickets.
If that's not enough, scientists also published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry that eating insects can provide as much iron, magnesium, and other nutrients as eating steak.
What are your thoughts, baseball fans? Would you try hoppers over hot dogs? Let us know in the comments below!
