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I love eating bugs. That statement often elicits dramatic reactions from my friends and families. However, bugs are an important staple in many different cultures and provide essential nutrition to millions of people. Here are my favorite bug dishes from around the world.
Table of Contents
Where Are Bugs Eaten?
Entomophagy refers to the consumption of insects by humans. This is a common practice in many parts of Asia, as well as certain parts of Africa, Central America, and Oceania.
Benefits of Eating Bugs
High Nutritional Value
Insects are rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. They can be a nutritious food source, providing essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Some companies are promoting insect powder as an alternative to protein powder.
Environmental Sustainability
Insects require less land, water, and food compared to traditional livestock. They also emit fewer methane and ammonia gases, which are detrimental to the environment.
Waste Reduction
Insect farming can utilize organic waste materials as food, helping to recycle nutrients and reduce waste. Some insect species are capable of converting organic waste into valuable protein and other useful by-products.
Bug Dishes From Around the World
Maguey Worms
The first bug dish I ever ate was maguey worms in Mexico. Known as gusanos de maguey in Spanish, these edible caterpillars live on the agave plant, which is used to make tequila and mezcal. In fact, these are the same caterpillars that are often found at the bottom of a bottle of mezcal.
You can eat maguey worms in different ways, but they are usually fried and added onto tacos. They have a slightly nutty taste.
Mopane Worms
Mopane worms refer to the caterpillar form of emperor moths. These caterpillars are a common snack in certain countries in southern Africa. I ate Mopane worms in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
These caterpillars can be served dry or with sauce. I prefer eating them with sauce, usually with tomato and onion, because it gives them more flavor. They are a little bland without it. Regardless, they are still a delicious snack.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers are eaten all over the world. I have tried them in Mexico, Thailand, and Uganda. Their taste varies with how they are cooked.
In Mexico, they are fried and called chapulines. The closest thing I could compare chapulines to would be to the salty shell of a peanut. Along with maguey worms, they are often eaten on tacos.
Giant Water Bug
Giant water bugs, featured on the first image of this blog post, are some of the most unappealing looking bugs to eat. They look like large cockroaches with pincers. These things are nasty too. Check out this video of a giant water bug killing and eating a snake. These monstrosities are eaten in Thailand.
I have eaten a lot of different things, but I could barely finish eating the giant water bug. The outside was crunchy and flaky, but the inside was squishy. I don’t think I’ll be eating another one.
Locusts
Locusts are a type of grasshopper, but they deserve their own spot on this list. When you hear about locusts, you will probably think about Biblical plagues. However, in the past few years, locusts have caused devastation to countries such as Somalia, Yemen, and Kenya.
I tried locusts during my last visit to Madagascar. Unfortunately, there was no cooking oil available, so the locusts were boiled in water. This made them soft and mushy. There was also no seasoning to add extra flavor. I’m sure locusts usually taste much better, but the way that I ate them, I wouldn’t recommend anyone try it.
Crickets
Crickets are another common insect that you may have never considered eating. This bug is consumed in countries around the world. Interestingly, I have only eaten crickets in the United States.
I visited some kind of store that specializes in “alternate” sources of protein, and they offered crickets and cricket powder. I was able to try a sample of crickets. They tasted a litte nutty, but otherwise they were similar to grasshoppers.
Chicatana Ants
Chicatana ants are a type of flying leaf-cutter ants that are eaten in Oaxaca, Mexico. They are typically harvested in May and June, so you will have to visit during this time to try them.
These ants aren’t very filling, and they are better eaten as a snack. They taste slightly bitter on their own. There are several different ways to eat chicatanas, but I prefer eating them as part of a salsa.
Hormigas Culonas
A similar ant is eaten in South American countries. Hormigas culonas literally translates to “big-assed ants”, which is the name of this delicacy in Spanish. I tried hormigas culonas when I was in Colombia, and they (unsurprisingly) taste like chicatana ants from Mexico.
Termites
While I was walking through the jungle in Belize, I had the opportunity to try live termites. I watched a local stick his finger into the termite nest and let a few termites crawl on him. He then licked them off his finger and ate them.
This was my first time eating live bugs, but the termites were surprisingly tasty! Termites taste like whatever they had been eating, and these termites had a slight lemon flavor.
I enjoyed them so much that I went back to the nest a few times to keep eating more.
Tarantulas
Tarantulas are technically not bugs, but many people consider spiders to be bugs. This Cambodian street food was one of the most difficult for me to eat.
Cambodia is one of the few places where tarantulas are eaten. When the Khmer Rouge took control of the country, they outlawed the private cultivation of crops, foraging, cooking in one’s home, and even owning pots or other types of cookware. People resorted to eating whatever they could find, which is how tarantulas became a part of Cambodian cuisine.
I found a vendor selling tarantulas in Siem Reap, and decided to give it a try. I started with its legs, which were crunchier than I imagined. They were seasoned with garlic and lime and tasted great! Once I got my first taste, I was able to easily eat the rest of the tarantula.
This was one of my favorite “bugs” that I have eaten!
Scorpions
Scorpions, like tarantulas, are arachnids and technically not bugs. But I will include them here as a bonus.
Scorpions are eaten all over the world, but I have eaten them in Mexico, Thailand, and even the United States. They usually just taste like the ingredients that they are cooked or seasoned with. However, if they are eaten by themselves, they taste almost like crawfish.
Have you ever eaten bugs? Leave a comment below!
