In many parts of the world people eat insects as part of their daily diets. Insects are high in protein and have even been stated as possibly being the answer to the world’s hunger problems. Let your students decide for themselves by exploring entomophagy (bug eating) through this fear facing food lesson.

Set

• Start this lesson by watching this YouTube clip of the launch of a bug food cart and Americans’ reactions to this absurd food choice

• Insects As Food, including: Casu Marzu, Bombyx Mori, Mezcal, Honeypot Ant, Cordyceps, Mealworm, Grasshopper, Witchetty Grub, Bogong Moth, Milbenk se, Huhu Beetle, Entomophagy, Maguey Worm, Gonimbrasia Belina, Hypopta Agavis, Chapulines, Belostomatidae
• Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio
• Eat-a-Bug Cookbook: 33 Ways to Cook Grasshoppers, Ants, Water Bugs, Spiders, Centipedes, and Their Kin by David George Gordon.

Instruction

• Taste test- provide bugs to taste like dried crickets
  
• Bug cooking demonstration. Purchase live insects at a company like EntoMarket. I suggest demonstrating recipes like chocolate cricket cookies or Grasshopper kabobs (recipes below)

Activities

• Using the internet students will pair up and answer the questions found on the entomophagy worksheet
• Students will then present their findings and recipes to the class. You can have students create a glog (online poster) on the subject or simply hand in their worksheets depending on how much time you have.
• You may also choose to assign an edible insect to a group of students to research, find recipes, figure out how to raise, etc and present a poster on that subject.

Extensions

• Make this lesson a mini project by having students create a menu of insect dishes including pictures, descriptions, pricing, etc.

Attachments

• Entomophagy Worksheet (Word)
• Entomophagy Key (Word)
• Cricket Biology Guide (PDF)
• Chocolate Chip Cricket Cookies (Link))
• Grasshopper Kabobs Recipe (Link)

Links

• The ‘ick’ Factor: Bugs Can be Hard to Swallow (Article)
• Nova: Master of the Killer Ants: Bugs you can Eat (Country Data)
• Glogster (Online Poster Creation)
• How to Raise Mealworms
• InsectsareFood.com
• Insect Recipes
• Grubco (Purchase Live Insects)