When you are ready to begin your entomophagy adventures, The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook is a great place to start because it includes recipes, resources, and useful tips. Here are three recipes from its author, David George Gordon. Remember to ask your parent or guardian for permission to prepare these recipes. Also ask them for help with using the stove and oven.
Yield: 6 servings
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 cups assorted Chex cereals (corn, wheat, and rice) or other dry, unsweetened cereals
1 cup Goldfish or other bite-size crackers
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken into small (1/2-inch) pieces
2 cups whole roasted crickets
Salt, garlic powder, curry powder or other seasonings
1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
2. In a small pan, melt the butter and Worcestershire sauce.
3. In a nonstick roasting pan, combine the Chex, Goldfish crackers, and pretzel sticks.
4. Bake in the oven for one hour, stirring every 15 or 20 minutes, until mix is lightly browned.
5. Add whole roasted crickets and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Remove pan from oven using an oven mitt. Season the mixture to taste and allow to cool before serving.
Yield: 10 or 12 candies
8 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3 cans (about 1/2 ounce) black ants
1. In a double boiler, bring water to a simmer. Stir together chocolate, butter, and corn syrup.
2. When all ingredients are evenly blended, carefully remove the double boiler from the stove. It will be very hot. Let the mixture cool to about 90°F. You can use a candy thermometer to measure the melted chocolate’s temperature. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, coat the back of a spoon with chocolate and place it in the fridge. If it hardens within 1–2 minutes, you’re set.
3. On a sheet of waxed or parchment paper, drip small amounts of the melted chocolate mixture to make 10 or 12 quarter-size disks.
4. Before the chocolate hardens, add a sprinkling of ants to each disk. Cover the ants with the remaining chocolate. Refrigerate until firm.
5. After the chocolate has set, use a spatula to transfer each chocolaty disk to a plate. They are now ready to serve.
Yield: about 2 dozen cookies
1/2 cup (about 200) wax worms
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Freeze wax worms overnight, then separate from their packing medium (usually pine shavings or sawdust). They are easier to separate before they thaw, so work quickly.
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
4. Stir in all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
5. Gently fold in the wax worms until they are uniformly distributed in the dough.
6. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls, onto non-stick baking sheets. Keep the cookies small. The larger they are, the longer the baking time, which makes the wax worms tough.
7. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned.
8. Remove from oven using an oven mitt and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a wire rack. After they have completely cooled, serve.
Your local health food or grocery stores may have some edible insects in stock, but it is more likely you will have to purchase supplies online. REMEMBER: Always look for insects raised for human consumption. Here are a few websites to try:
Aketta at aketta.com
Don Bugito at donbugito.com
Ento Market at edibleinsects.com
Entomo Farms at entomofarms.com
Marx Pantry at marxpantry.com
Merci Mercado at mercimercado.com
Thailand Unique at thailandunique.com