They are little 6-legged insects that live under rocks and logs in forested areas. Jumiles are the larger of the two and the chumiles are smaller.
Dia de Jumil
On the Monday following Day of the Dead, the people in Taxco (A city in the state of Guerrero) gather together and hunt for jumiles which are plentiful. The children race around to see who can stuff their bag first and the adults look for some too, but mainly they hang out and enjoy the fresh air and pop the occasional live jumil into their mouths.
What do they taste like?
The larger Jumiles have a strong iodine flavor and are almost overpowering. It is an aquired taste, but once you get used to it you can begin enjoying the other subtle flavors. The chumiles have an even stronger flavor, but they have some sweetness to them also. They are either eaten live or ground into salsa with a molcajete.
