Cricket Dish

At a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, diners can chow down on cricket meatballs, silkworm sashimi, or tofu with beetle larvae. Then they can wash it down with water-bug cider. That’s if they’re lucky enough to get a table! The restaurant, Take-Noko, specializes in insect dishes and is often packed with diners.

For many people in the U.S., eating bugs may sound unusual. But for 2 billion people around the world, insects have long been part of their diets: like cricket tacos in Mexico, fried Mopane worms in Zimbabwe, and locusts simmered in soy sauce in Japan.

Entomophagy, or eating bugs, may not be popular here, but it should be, says Lisa Sanchez. She’s a naturalist at the Lancaster County Parks Department in Pennsylvania who educates the public about consuming insects. Eating them has many benefits, says Sanchez. For one, insects are a great source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Raising bugs for food instead of livestock like cattle has less impact on the environment. The reason is that farming insects requires fewer resources like food, land, and water.

In addition to being nutritious and eco-friendly, insects are delicious, according to Sanchez. “They’re like potato chips, you can’t eat just one!” She says beetle larvae—the immature form of the insect—taste nutty. Crickets and mealworms can be eaten dried or roasted, or they can be ground up to make flour for baked goods like brownies. Sanchez also likes roasting cicadas over a campfire. “Better than a marshmallow,” she says.