The practice of eating insects, entomophagy, sounds gross to us but insects have served as a food source for people for tens of thousands of years. It is now rare in most countries, but entomophagy is still practiced in parts of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia.
According to the insectsarefood.com website, there are more than 1,400 edible species of insects, most popular are crickets and mealworms. But what do they taste like?
An avid entomophagist, Dave Gracer, describes how some insect taste:
- Dry-toasted cricket tastes like sunflower seeds.
- Katydid like toasted avocado.
- Palm grub like bacon soup with a chewy, sweet finish.
- Weaver ant pupae have practically no flavor.
- Giant water bug is, astonishingly, like a salty, fruity, flowery Jolly Rancher.