I recently watched a documentary that featured young children from Venezuela’s Piaroa tribe scouring the jungle for giant tarantulas, which they subsequently skewered, roasted over an open fire, and ate with delight. While I found this equal parts shocking and fascinating, I realized that bugs, insects and creepy crawlies are a significant source of protein for many people around the world. In fact, the act of eating insects, also known as entomophagy, is a reality for about 2 billion people globally. In Mexico, for just one example, grasshoppers have been a staple since Aztec and Mayan times.

The number of people eating insects around the world will likely grow even more in the future because they’re a much more sustainable and healthy source of nutrition for our growing population than our other protein sources like fish and livestock. So eating bugs might soon become a reality for you too, if it isn’t already.

Insects deliver a lot more nutrition than you might have guessed, and about 1,900 species are considered edible. They are high in protein, fiber, omega-3s, vitamins and minerals, but I know what you’re thinking… what do they taste like? According to Angelina Jolie, whose children are known to eat crickets ‘like Doritos’, the crunchy critters taste similar to potato chips and are just as addictive. More tasting notes according to Yummly:

• Grubs taste like bacon
• Scorpions taste like fish
• Tarantulas taste like crab or poultry
• And the jury is out on cicadas, which either taste like peanut butter with an asparagus-like aftertaste OR raw potatoes drizzled in clam juice

While that last one doesn’t sound too appetizing, the flavor of insects has a lot to do with how they are prepared and seasoned.

Here are some insect recipes you might like to try:

• Mealworm Arancini
• Spicy Critter Fritters
• Grasshopper Kabobs
• Chocolate Chirpie Chip Cookies
• Banana Worm Bread
• Banana Oat Mealworm Muffins with Cricket Flour
• Cricket Pad Thai

Ready to eat some bugs? Proceed with caution…

If you’re going to try eating insects, be sure to get them from a reputable source. Don’t just go hunting in your back yard or you could end up eating something poisonous. Blogger Girl Meets Bug has put together an extensive list of places to buy your edible insects here. You might also see them popping up on restaurant menus, like at The Black Ant in New York City, where they serve margaritas with ant salt rims and black ant guacamole.

Bon appetit!

Have you ever eaten insects? Would you try it? Share your thoughts in the comments or over on Twitter at @luvoinc.