My previous post sparked some interesting conversation on a few Facebook groups I frequent. So I asked them: “Have you ever eaten an insect?” Considering most of these people are westerners, the answers may surprise you.
Bon appetite!
“Yes. Mealworms tastes like sesame seeds and nuts. Also, had beetles, worms, ants, grasshoppers, larvaes, and other legged critters. But that was during survival training.” -Vic
I’m curious to know more about this survival training.
“I purposely ate red ants as a kid. They were generally sour, since they were usually found crawling around my candy stash.” -Alex
“Mealworms have a bitter aftertaste to me. Superworms really have no taste. Silkworms are kind of gummy, but have a higher fat content than mealworms or superworms (which are primarily protein). ” -Adam
Pro Tip: The protein content of mealworms isn’t really that much more than other insects. They’re on par with most other species that have been studied. Some, are higher, some are less. It will depend on the exact species we’re talking about.
“Yep. Ants, flies, and earthworms. I’ve also eaten tadpoles. I’d like to try some more edible insects, but the ones I’ve seen online seem pretty expensive. More of a novelty than a regular source of protein.” -Brad
“Chocolate-covered ants (store-bought) and roasted grasshoppers (in Boy Scouts in the wild). The ants were like eating choco-Rice Krispies … but the pan-fried ‘hoppers were actually quite good if a little weird at first.” -Damon
“I’ve had energy bars made with cricket flour. They were no better or worse than regular energy bars.” -Joel A
I’ve had these and my general assessment is pretty much the same as Joel A’s. If you like the flavor, it tastes fine. No different than any other type of energy bar.
“I ate a couple of crickets. they came in a food package. they were dried. they tasted like pork rinds.” -Joel P
I’ll admit it…pork rinds make me nervous. I have never had one.
“Alphabetically, I’ve had: ants, aphids, cicada nymps, crickets, fruit flies, grasshoppers, locusts, mealworms (regular and giant), mopane caterpillars, palm weevil larvae, scorpions, silk worm pupae (wild and domestic), stick insects and wax worms. I may be forgetting some. My favourite were the roasted wax worms, the palm weevil larvae and the grasshoppers, but preparation is really important.” –Guillaume
You, my friend, are awesome. Keep it up!
“I ate a tarantula in Cambodia.” -Caroline “Did it taste like crab?” -Me (Supposedly it tastes like crab) “It tasted like nightmares and also kinda like ranch dressing.” -Caroline
So, what about you? Have you eaten an insect or other arthropod? What was it like? Would you do it again? Would you eat a crab, but never touch a grasshopper? Or do you just draw the line at arachnids?
Arthropodology 