II Introduction
The project to create dishes including edible insects as an alternative in Mexican food begins in response to the concern instilled by Mexican chefs and to make our cultures, traditions and contemporary Mexican gastronomy known to the rest of the world, this will lead us to innovate the restaurant menu with the aim that diners have a gastronomic experience.
In the development of this document, various factors have been taken that in my opinion are the most convenient for its development and are broken down below:
One focus is primarily on the nutritional properties of grasshoppers, jumiles, escamoles and maguey worms, in order to associate their nutritional properties and the nutritional value they contain, in addition to some characteristics such as the fight against diseases that have been applied only as home remedies derived from observation and empirical learning.
Knowledge of various disciplines allows us to open various fields of research and thanks to a whole process that allows us to know, from the cultural heritage that our ancestors have bequeathed to us to the customs that influence us today and that have changed our eating habits.
The complexity of growing restaurants demands an administrative and operational responsibility of the same magnitude, for which teamwork is the most important and fundamental tool; where the failure in some connection or a communication error, can cause the company to fail. Having as an immediate consequence loss of diners and prestige, which would be the greatest damage that this can have.
Within the conclusions and contributions are all those contributions and achievements that the restaurants benefit from, in this case from the implementation of the new dishes, and the proposal in general.
In the bibliography sources, all the information sources that we consulted were cited, such as books, documentaries, visits to libraries among others for the development of this work.
I.II Theoretical framework
1.1 Ethnoentomology
Within ethnozoology, ethnoentomology according to (Gabdin 1973, p.1), is the science that establishes the functional interrelations between human societies and the world of insects.
It is this relationship that we are interested in investigating, mainly the one that gives rise to the consumption of insects as a food base in various cultures, particularly in pre-Columbian Mexico and that until today subsists by a generational inheritance entomofacia, that is, consumption of insects, elective and organoleptic, it has been practiced for thousands of years, that is, insects have been part of the traditional eating habits of many people from different biogeographical communities.
1.2 Mexico
In relation to edible insects, we can mention that not only for Mexico, but for many countries, at different times and in various ethnic groups, insects have formed and are part of traditional eating patterns, for example: Ceylon bees., honey ants in the United States, crickets and insects in Thailand, ants in France, butterfly larvae in Rhodesia, termites in Africa, locusts in the Arab world, etc.
In the same way, the importance of this food source is highlighted, highlighting the appreciation that is had for it on a global scale at any time in history. In many civilizations this food has been part of the traditions of their culture and in Mexico the origin of entomophagia is lost in time and space; however, some antecedents remained in pre-Hispanic codices and in other historical documents after the arrival of the Spanish (Saenz, CA. et., 1978).
1.3 Gastronomy of Mexico
Mexico, in addition to having a millionaire historical wealth, also has it at the gastronomic level, since the ancient Mexicans had a great diversity of foods that were used for their consumption, some of them, insects, were prepared in various ways, as an example:
Chapulín.- Once harvested, they are then boiled in garlic sauce, having that organoleptically attractive red color. In rural areas, they are always eaten in tacos after being cooked in water and after drying, lemon juice is squeezed and chili pepper is added.
Jumil.- these insects are exposed to the public in basins with a cornet in the middle so that the insects climb up and see the merchandise, they are eaten alive or in tacos, or they are added fried to chili sauces or rice, giving it a pleasant taste.
Maguey white worm.- It is one of the most sought after and sought-after insects, it is a butterfly larva, which is even exported to different countries such as the United States, Canada, France and Japan. Selling to gourmet stores. These worms provide a large amount of calories and are even an unconventional source of fat, which is also lacking in rural Mexico. They are eaten roasted in tacos and their flavor is similar to pork rinds.
Maguey red worm.- This worm is eaten alive, it stings like green serrano chili, but it is usually eaten roasted or fried with salt and in tacos. In the state of Oaxaca they are dried, strung with a thread and sold for necklaces. This species is the one that constitutes the famous mezcal worm, which is included in the bottles that contain this drink, or it is ground and mixed with salt in the bags that are attached to the mezcal pots.
Escamol.- It is eaten in tacos or fried in black butter, fried with seeds, garlic and epazote.
1.4 Marketing and dishes
Miguel Ángel Acerenza tells us in his book "Restaurant Marketing"; Marketing are methodological processes that allow determining the needs of customers, offering ideal products that meet their needs, thereby generating profits for their manufacturers.
I.III. Conclusions
At the end of this research, it is vitally important to convince diners that what they are going to eat in this new proposal based on insects is as good as meat and vegetables, but also the flavor and the combinations that are offered since the The results obtained reflect that the most important factor is to try “something different”.
- It was possible to collect information that would support the project, and serve as complementary material for the proposal. In this way, the importance of the nutritional value of this food was considered and that it represents a viable option, making it attractive to include it in the menu of Mexican restaurants.
Therefore, and derived from the above; It will be considered that this research has provided sufficient evidence to support the validity in the sense that “If insects are a food source of high nutritional, mineral and exotic value, then it would be possible to include them in the menu of Mexican restaurants ”.
SAW. Bibliographies and queries made
- Lusting, N. (1987). The food of the future. Mexico: Volume II UNAM Muñoz, JL (1986). Detention of minerals by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in some edible insects of the Mexican Republic. Mexico: ENEPNutrition. (June 1997). Very Interesting Magazine, 45. Ramos, EJ (1989). Edible insects in ancient Mexico. Mexico: AGTRamos, EJ (1982). Insects as a source of protein in the future. Mexico: Limusa. Villaseñor, LR (1995). Current documentary research techniques.Mexico: Trilllas.
