This article is written for any person interested in eating insects (Entomophagy: the practice of eating insects). Specifically for those that have never practiced entomophagy before and would like to try it for the first time.
Entomophagy has been around for a very long time in the Bible (Leviticus 11:20) it talks about what kind of insects are good and what type are not. We even find grasshopper remains in human living spaces on archeological digs dating back to 5,000 years ago. Some tribal people around the world still eat insect as part of their daily diet today so insects have been palatable for human consumption for a very long time.
Although I do not usually eat insects regularly in my home life I do when I go backpacking or other wilderness activity. Grasshoppers are common in most places and so are the easiest bugs to start munching on. Almost all young boys and a lot of young girls practice caching them as children, but have you ever thought about eating one of these hopping critters? I was first introduced to eating bugs by a school teacher. He taught bible class and to get his classes attention on the first day of class he would walk in and eat a grasshopper in front of everyone. Needless to say a majority of the class was horrified and somewhat green around the gills upon seeing this, but others like myself found a healthy new food source. With grasshoppers you can just walk out of your front door find one and eat it, no preparation required some people prefer pooling the legs, wings and maybe the head off but you can just eat the howl thing. Also for beginners you may want to try one of the many recipes on the internet. Personally I have tried frying grasshoppers with some vegetables and eating it with rice and this may be preferable for some beginners rather than eating them plain. Although plain is always an option.
Another easy one is katydids they are basically just like grasshoppers. Although I have never eaten any we don’t really have any where I live, but I have been told they are just like grasshoppers. So here is another one you can just walk out of your front door if you have them and partake of.
Ants are also an easy to find edible insect. The average garden verity ant is perfectly healthy for you to eat, although some are not so make sure what type of ant you are eating. Most ants carry no germs or bacteria they are clean but Pharaoh ants are not they have many bacteria on their surface. So always double check what type of ant it is. I would suggest killing them first either in a frying pan or other heat source so that they can no longer sting you because that can be a problem on the way down. If you have no heat source an alternative is to just ripe their heads off and then eat so that they can no longer bite or sting you.
This was a short guide on the most common of edible insects. I hope it helps if you ever decide to pick one up and eat it.
