Yummy Bugs

BackwoodsBummin'

BackwoodsBummin'

Joined
Feb 26, 2010
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I've been trying to find some authoritative information on edible bugs. Internet searches have turned up some decent articles, both on bladeforums and other sites.

However, these articles are more of a general overview. I have gleaned a few useful tidbits from them like, "Avoid hairy bugs" and "Avoid colorful bugs." That's about it.

So I am asking if anyone here has any good books or websites to recommend regarding entomophagy, in particular regional guides. It doesn't necessarily have to be a guide to what insects are edible (as I think most of them are). It could also be a credible list of insects to avoid. I'll experiment with eating pretty much anything. But I would rather avoid the toxic ones, if at all possible;)

Any suggestions?
 
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Can't help you but I've always heard the rule, "don't eat bugs with more than 6 legs." YMMV
 
I've read that centipedes produce cyanide. Probably not the best thing in the world to munch;)

I would imagine that a fair number of spiders are edible, though.
 
The only thing I have heard is nature often uses bright colors as warnings...but there are impostor bugs that have bright colors but do not taste bad or contain toxins.

None of this rules out the possibility of a drab colored bug making you sick though (shrug).

Perhaps the best approach is to learn what is plentiful and edible in the areas you expect to be, and stick with that relatively small list.

Around here, earth worms are easy to find and I have never had a problem (rinse them off first)...though I do not dine on them often, and I would not recommend harvesting them from a questionable environment.

When I was down the hall from the Entomology department at Michigan State we ate bugs all the time...but they grew their own in controlled environments. BBQ sauce or Ranch dressing seemed to make ANYTHING taste good LOL. I mention it only because those guys were pretty adamant about what the guts were loaded with...it makes a huge difference in taste and health. I would assume that the insect (or critter) you are about to eat is only part of your concern, so understanding what is in its gut is going to be critical too since you will likely be consuming that also.

Be safe!
 
Like lilknifekid says, parasites often hitch a ride on bugs trying to get into us. Liver fluke, for example, live in snails, waiting for them to get munched on by some grazing animal.
 
Black wood ants.... Yummy no need to cook just kill and eat they are sour like warhead candies!! If your on the trail and you need some sugar just gather a bunch of the black wood ants and dry roast them over a fire in a pan grind them up after roasting into a powder and you have a sweet suger like treat enjoy!!! You can eat them live but sometimes they pinch your tongue
 
crackerjax said:
Black wood ants.... Yummy no need to cook just kill and eat they are sour like warhead candies!! If your on the trail and you need some sugar just gather a bunch of the black wood ants and dry roast them over a fire in a pan grind them up after roasting into a powder and you have a sweet suger like treat enjoy!!! You can eat them live but sometimes they pinch your tongue
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Aye...If you live in N. America, pretty much all ants are free game. I hear they're very rich in protein too :D Careful though, some of em bite.
 
Getting some pretty good info here. Thanks guys.

Anybody familiar with any field guides or websites that can help me identify insects as edible or not?

What really got me curious about this topic is what I have tentatively identified as Flat Head Wood Borers which I pulled out of a Black Oak. Anybody know if these can be eaten? From the looks of them I would want to remove the heads before eating. Got a nasty set of pincers there.:eek:
 
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You got me thinking so I did a little Google search

How about ant brood tacos?

http://www.manataka.org/page160.html
Ant Brood Tacos

2 tablespoons butter or peanut oil?
1/2 pound ant larvae and pupae
3 serrano chilies, raw, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
Pepper and Cumin, to taste
Oregano, to taste
1 handful cilantro, chopped
Taco shells, to serve
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Bugs are one of those things that I'm not too open to unless I'm really hungry.

On a hunting trip a buddy and I caught a bunch of really large grass hoppers. He'd roast them with a small stick then peel and eat the muscles off of the abdomen. He didn't eat the whole thing because he said they were too "thoraxy". I wasn't hungry enough so I abstained.

If you find what you're looking for give us some reviews on each bug you end up trying.
 
Grub worms are tasty in the midwest, ants, locusts and crickets...a ll properly prepared over a fire and with franks hot sauce... :)

Jason
 
I tried some grasshoppers and a cricket back in September in this thread. They were pretty well cooked.
 
I just wrote an article for the first issue of Self Reliance Illustrated on eating bugs. You should check it out.
 
Thanks for the heads-up, Joezilla!

I dig the articles on Woodsmonkey. And this magazine looks like it should be pretty informative, also. Are they mailing these yet?
 
grub.jpg


grub!
 
No lie, that scene in the lion king when Timone and Pumba bust open that log made bugs look hella tasty :D
 
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