Insects and bugs are the latest food trends to hit the food industry this year. Insects are crawling their way inside the most sophisticated restaurants in the world.
This is actually not a case of Fear Factor meet fine dining. Insects are actually a sustainable source of protein. They can provide essential vitamins and minerals that we need. In some cultures especially in Asia, insects and bugs are part of their daily diet.
The Black Ant, a restaurant in New York's East Village, buys ants, grasshoppers, and worms in a market located in Oaxaca, Mexico just to serve it in their restaurant. The menu includes: ant guacamole, grasshopper tostadas, and tacos with dried worm fillings. The insects are also incorporated in drinks. They used it as salt - the crushed ants are placed on the rim of the glasses.
As for the taste, well you'd be surprise. Grasshoppers, which are known as the chicken of the insect world actually taste a bit like fish and is in fact very salty. Ants are a bit spicy and are crunchy while worms taste like shrimp.
The Black Ant is not the only restaurant that serves insects cuisine. Typhoon, a restaurant in Santa Monica, California has a special section in their menu dedicated to our friendly crawlers. They serve ants, crickets, and even scorpions.
Arthur Bovino, the executive editor of The Daily Meal, said that adding insect to the menu definitely warrants some "shock value" but it also enables people to catch up on what is deemed "normal" for the rest of the world. Bovino added, "The FDA accounts for a certain amount of bugs to be in everything we buy already."
According to Mario Hernandez, chef at the Black Ant, having insects and bugs at the table every time they eat is just normal for them. The question is are you up for it?
