Natural world

Insect crunch

Ingredients

100g butter
1 cup honey
1 cup roasted insects (you can use grasshoppers, ants, crickets or bees)
500g unsalted popcorn

Preparation

Heat the butter and honey together in a large pan. Stir insects and popcorn into the butter and honey mixture. Spread out on a baking tray and cook for 10 minutes at a high temperature (approximately 200-220°C). Cool, cut into pieces and serve.

Notes

This recipe is a modern one, incorporating the traditions of insect eating with our contemporary desire for sweets or ‘junk’ food.

The horror factor that may occur at the thought of eating insects can be reduced by adding them to favourites such as popcorn and chocolate.

Any insects can be dry-roasted. First freeze them to kill them, then spread them out on a baking tray and cook in a medium oven for 1-2 hours, until they can easily be crushed.

Warning !

All the recipes given here are based on traditional dishes eaten by people over many generations. There are small risks when eating insects, so it is recommended that:

• Nobody with an allergy to shellfish, chocolate or dust should try these recipes.
• All insects should be prepared exactly as described and thoroughly cooked before being eaten.
• Only the insects mentioned in the recipes should be used, as some other species are not edible. Please take care not to eat or even touch a hairy caterpillar in Britain.

All Illustrations by Steve Roberts