Bugs. Now you can get back at them: Eat them. There are at least two sites on the Web featuring insect recipes, dishes in which insects are the main ingredient.
One site, maintained by Orkin, lists 11 recipes. As many as 80 percent of the human population are insect connoisseurs, according to the site.
The recipes are mostly for dessert and appetizers, and most feature dry-roasted insects. Dry-roasted insects are made by spreading cleaned, live insects on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Bake them at 200 degrees for one to two hours until dry.
Dry-roasted insects are the basis for such dishes as Bug Bites and Insect Popcorn Crunch. Banana Worm Bread features dry-roasted army worms, while dry-roasted crickets are featured in Chocolate Chirpie Chip Cookies.
Orkin’s site is at www.orkin.com/bugrecipes.html. The site credits many of the recipes to the Iowa State Etomology homepage, at www.ent.iastate.edu/Misc/InsectsAsFood.html.
Iowa State’s site has links to other insect recipe sites, as well as links to outlets where insects can be purchased.
What are you waiting for? Grab the butterfly net and go get dinner!
