Food Mondays: Are Insects The Food Of The Future?

Chapulines, a type of grasshoppers, are commonly eaten in parts of Mexico.
Chapulines, a type of grasshoppers, are commonly eaten in parts of Mexico. Ashish Valentine / WBEZ
Chapulines, a type of grasshoppers, are commonly eaten in parts of Mexico.
Chapulines, a type of grasshoppers, are commonly eaten in parts of Mexico. Ashish Valentine / WBEZ

Food Mondays: Are Insects The Food Of The Future?

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Crickets, according to a 2013 UN Food and Agriculture organization report, “need 12 times less feed than cattle, four times less feed than sheep, and half as much feed as pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein.” As rising populations and changing diets worldwide put pressure on global food output, crickets, grasshoppers and other critters may become standard fare for much of humanity. Cultures all over the world from Mexico to Cambodia already incorporate bugs into their cuisines but long-standing taboos around insects have largely prevented similar developments in the United States and Europe — with a few emerging exceptions. WBEZ’s own Monica Eng journeyed around Chicago with the Field Museum’s curator emerita of insects Margaret Thayer in search of edible bugs, and is on hand to tell us about global insect-eating practices and where you can find a decent cricket in the city.