Jumiles
Encyclopedia
Jumiles are small stink bugs of the species Atizies taxcoensis native to the Taxco
region of the state of Guerrero
in Mexico
. Jumiles are collected for making sauce
and for use as a taco filling. They may be eaten alive. The beginning of the jumil season on November 1st is the occasion of a large fiesta in Taxco. Fiesta-goers gather in the mountain park of Huisteco to collect jumiles and to crown a Jumil Queen.
Jumiles have a bitter, medicinal flavor, probably due to their high iodine
content. Jumiles are also a good source of the vitamin
s riboflavin
and niacin
.
Chumiles are a smaller, similar hemipteran of the same region (southern Morelos
and northern Guerrero
) which is used for food as well. Both jumiles and chumiles are insects of the order Hemiptera
and family Pentatomidae
. Pentatomids are commonly called "stink bugs" in English.
In the Globe Trekker
TV travelogue
episode Ultimate Mexico, Justine Shapiro
is shown eating a live jumil. Andrew Zimmern
can also be seen eating jumiles on his television show Bizarre Foods, where he claims they taste just like tutti-frutti chewing gum.
Taxco
Taxco de Alarcón is a small city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. The name Taxco is most likely derived from the Nahuatl word tlacheco, which means “place of the ballgame.” However, one interpretation has the name coming from the word tatzco which means “where the father...
region of the state of Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Jumiles are collected for making sauce
Salsa (sauce)
Salsa may refer to any type of sauce. In American English, it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato based, hot sauces typical of Mexican and Central American cuisine, particularly those used as dips. In British English, the word typically refers to salsa cruda, which is common in Mexican ,...
and for use as a taco filling. They may be eaten alive. The beginning of the jumil season on November 1st is the occasion of a large fiesta in Taxco. Fiesta-goers gather in the mountain park of Huisteco to collect jumiles and to crown a Jumil Queen.
Jumiles have a bitter, medicinal flavor, probably due to their high iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
content. Jumiles are also a good source of the vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s riboflavin
Riboflavin
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2 or additive E101, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is the central component of the cofactors FAD and FMN, and is therefore required by all flavoproteins. As such, vitamin B2 is required for a...
and niacin
Niacin
"Niacin" redirects here. For the neo-fusion band, see Niacin .Niacin is an organic compound with the formula and, depending on the definition used, one of the forty to eighty essential human nutrients.Niacin is one of five vitamins associated with a pandemic deficiency disease: niacin deficiency...
.
Chumiles are a smaller, similar hemipteran of the same region (southern Morelos
Morelos
Morelos officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 33 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca....
and northern Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
) which is used for food as well. Both jumiles and chumiles are insects of the order Hemiptera
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
and family Pentatomidae
Pentatomidae
Pentatomidae, Greek pente meaning five and tomos meaning section, is a family of insects belonging to order hemiptera that includes some of the stink bugs and shield bugs. Their antennae are 5-segmented, which gives the family its scientific name. Their bodies are usually shield-shaped...
. Pentatomids are commonly called "stink bugs" in English.
In the Globe Trekker
Globe Trekker
Globe Trekker is an adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British-based series was inspired by the Lonely Planet travelbooks and began airing in 1994...
TV travelogue
Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film or television program that describes travel in general or tourist attractions in a non-commercial way....
episode Ultimate Mexico, Justine Shapiro
Justine Shapiro
Justine Shapiro is one of several main hosts of the Pilot Productions travel/adventure series Globe Trekker . Shapiro is known for her commentary and critique of countries visited...
is shown eating a live jumil. Andrew Zimmern
Andrew Zimmern
Andrew Zimmern is a James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, food writer, and teacher. As the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of Travel Channel's series Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre World, he travels the world exploring food in its own native...
can also be seen eating jumiles on his television show Bizarre Foods, where he claims they taste just like tutti-frutti chewing gum.