Tarantulas and time-honored traditions

Story by Grace Haynes, Images by Sarah Carroll unless noted otherwise

How often do you get to experience flavors that are entirely novel? A crunch, a nutty aftertaste, a perfect complement that you just can’t place? For me, it doesn’t happen very often. But when it does, it absolutely blows me away. Believe it or not—another way to expand your palate, and your cultural awareness while decreasing your carbon footprint is by eating insects, also known as entomophagy.

But wait! Maybe you’ve only seen grasshoppers in lollipops or cricket snacks at the state fair—where eating insects is sensationalized as something wild you’d have to be so brave to try. This mainstream entomophagy narrative majorly whitewashes history, leaving out important voices. Eating insects has been common globally for thousands of years. It’s not something desperate, or a way to show off your bravery; it’s actually an incredible tradition people continue to enjoy today.

Eating insects has become something of a fad in recent years in the global north. Cricket flour is becoming more mainstream as a baking alternative, and multiple companies peddle insect consumption as a new invention in sustainable food systems. And eating insects is incredibly sustainable. Insects are incredibly high in protein and can be raised with low inputs–for example, according to one study, cricket farming uses only a quarter of the carbon dioxide and half the water of chicken farming for the same protein output. This means that insects have a much lower carbon footprint than other meats. You can get your healthy high protein content without having to worry about the carbon emissions it might generate. On top of that, rearing insects is quite humane! Unlike livestock, where cramped conditions and lack of light and air cause the animals a huge amount of stress, these conditions lend themselves to an ideal lifestyle for many insects. The slaughter process for insect protein is also humane; insects are usually slaughtered by being frozen, something they would likely experience naturally in the fall and winter, anyway.

But let’s make sure we honor the long-standing history of eating insects, too. They’re not just useful; they’re also delicious. Cultures from around the world have incorporated entomophagy into their traditions for centuries—insects can add flavors and textures to dishes that can’t be replicated by any other ingredients. Ignoring this rich culinary history is limiting. It prevents us from tapping into long-standing knowledge of the flavors that complement those of different insects. And beyond that, it claims novel credit for “inventing” cricket flour, when in reality, the practice of insect-eating has been around for ages.

 The Shoshone and other Native communities in the Great Basin people roasted crickets, then roasted them or ground them into flour for bread. In Mexico, the “agave worm,” or “chinichuiles,” is a dish made up of these insects roasted or deep-fried and served with green tomatoes, spices, and lime on a warm tortilla. People have compared the flavor to pork cracklings—yum! Meanwhile, in much of southeast Asia, the giant water bug is eaten as a popular snack. These “toe-biters,” as we call them in the Midwest, have a flavor you can compare to scallops. And these mouth-watering examples are just the tantalizing tip of the iceberg!

By now, you may be wondering, “Ok, so where can I try it??” You’re in luck—we have some delicious opportunities for you right here in the Upper Midwest. At Owamni in downtown Minneapolis, the famous Indigenous chef and author of The Sioux Chef, Sean Sherman, has toasted crickets on the menu. This phenomenal restaurant exclusively serves native ingredients that were found in this area long before European colonization. At Colita, in South Minneapolis, you can try Aguachile with chapulines, or seasoned grasshoppers. Colita combines barbeque with the unique and diverse flavors of Oaxaca, Mexico. 

If eating insects is still new to you, you can expand your knowledge with the graphic novel Meal, drawn by local Twin Cities cartoonist Blue Delliquanti and written with help from restaurant critic Soleil Ho. This novel brings the flavors and cultures associated with entomophagy to life, making them irresistible. It also includes recipes you can try at home. Find it at a local bookstore!

Images courtesy of Blue Delliquanti

Eating insects is often sold as a cutting edge, new western invention that promotes the climate advantages of eating our six-legged friends. However, that narrative erases centuries of traditions, many of which are still practiced today. So next time you hear someone mention eating bugs, don’t think of it as a new sensation–embrace the opportunity to learn more about this beautiful tradition; it may go back centuries, but that doesn’t mean it’s not modern.

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