Crickets are an Ancient Food Source Trending Today. Health-conscious consumers, athletes, and even vegetarians are discovering the powerful nutritional benefits of edible crickets. This culinary adventure is so new that it has many people asking… “how do I incorporate crickets into my diet?” Here are ten ways you can experience a full range of foods that includes crickets as an ingredient. A delicious nutritious revelation.
1. PIZZA TOPPING & PIZZA DOUGH INGREDIENT
You can use crickets with pizza in two ways. Crickets can be a novel pizza topping that’s slightly shocking. And, crickets can be ground into powder and added to the pizza dough as another healthy way to deliver protein, prebiotic fiber, and antioxidants (and much more) to your pizza.
In both scenarios, the crickets will add only a minimal flavor shift. They have a mild umami taste that many people describe as adding a pleasant earthy tone to the pizza. Few people dislike the flavor.
Adding crickets to your pizza creates conversation, boosts social media posts, and adds hard-to-get nutritional elements to your favorite food.
2. AN EXTRA HEALTHY ADDITION TO GRANOLA
You can also add crickets to your favorite granola to get maximum nutritional benefits.
Crickets are an ancient high-protein food. You don’t get more Paleo than this. All-natural with no artificial ingredients, growth hormones, or antibiotics.
Crickets offer real animal protein that includes all nine essential amino acids, they’re a prebiotic fiber (nutrition for probiotics), very high in antioxidants, a perfect Omega 3:6 balance, high in B12, Calcium, Zinc, Iron, and much more.
You can add whole roasted crickets to your granola mix or simply sprinkle the powder on top (as some people do with sugar but so much healthier).
3. TRULY TRADITIONAL TACOS
For an authentic Pre-Hispanic treat, add some whole roasted crickets to your tacos.
“Nixtamal” as the Aztecs called their tacos, has been a Mexican favorite for many centuries and they commonly include crickets and grasshoppers. Today, tacos have become very popular and are a favorite Mexican food for people worldwide.
Since ancient times, crickets have been an important protein source in the Americas. They thrive in North, Central, and South America.
Note: Use corn tortillas (common) instead of flour for a paleo, gluten-free, and keto-friendly taco.
4. CRICKETS & CHOCOLATE
Quite a few of our senior citizens remember chocolate-covered crickets. It may surprise you to find out that they were treats kids enjoyed many years ago.
It’s true that just about anything covered in chocolate tastes better. But crickets add more than just a flavor to chocolate. They add a wonderful crunch.
You can add them to melted chocolate whole and you will get a chocolate crunch candy similar to commercial crunch bars. If you add course ground crickets, you get something unique, a crystalline crunch. A very light crunch. It’s hard to explain so you’ll just have to experience it for yourself.
5. FINGER FOOD
A common story when people return from a trip to Mexico is about sitting in a bar eating spiced nuts when someone asks if they know what they’re eating. “Nuts?” is the obvious reply. But no. Lo and behold, they’re eating crickets or grasshoppers!
People all around the world consider crickets food. It’s only the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia that harbor an irrational fear of eating crickets.
Considering the fact that they are a sustainable protein source raised humanely, you’d think logic would overcome irrational fear. Yet, it remains a mental challenge some people just cannot master.
6. SALADS
Most vegans will not eat crickets because crickets are animals. However, since crickets are sustainable and raised humanely, many vegetarians concerned with the environment, sustainability, the humane treatment of animals, and getting the necessary vitamins and minerals needed to remain healthy see crickets as a beneficial addition to their diet.
So, sprinkling crickets on a salad is an easy way to add protein, prebiotic fiber (nutrition for probiotics), optimal Omega 3:6 balance, B vitamins, and so much more to any salad.
All-Natural, Paleo, Gluten-Free, and Keto-Friendly.
Maybe crickets are what’s missing from your diet?
7. CRICKET HORS D’OEUVRES
Instantly create conversation and watch for future social media posts when you serve hors d’oeuvres with crickets. An experience your guests will never forget!
Expect delight and disgust. You’ll experience all kinds of reactions when you introduce your cricket-topped hors d’oeuvres. Some will not eat a cricket no matter how sensible your argument is. They just can’t master their irrational cultural fear. Others will have the opposite reaction. They love it (most people like the taste of cricket) and immediately ask for more.
Serve cricket hors d’oeuvres knowing that you are on the vanguard, you’re a leader in a new humane, environmentally-friendly, culinary revolution.
8. PROTEIN-ENRICHED FLOUR
How about serving protein-packed cupcakes, muffins, or cookies that supply prebiotic fiber and antioxidants?
You can create baked goods packed with protein, prebiotic fiber, antioxidants, Omega 3, and many different vitamins, and minerals by adding cricket powder to regular baking flour creating “Cricket Flour”.
To make Cricket Flour, mix cricket powder with regular baking powder at a 1:4 ratio or 20% Cricket Powder to 80% baking flour. Too much cricket powder will make baked foods a bit hard and chewy.
Note: This is a great introduction to this ancient food since you cannot see anything that looks like a cricket.
9. CRYSTALLINE CRUNCH
Crickets have a great crunch. The shell, or exoskeleton, of crickets, is made of chitin which is a prebiotic fiber, and this hard shell offers a really nice and light crunch when crickets are rough ground.
Mix the ground powder with chocolate, add it to smoothies, sprinkle it on top of muffins, or add it to your next salad for a very unique culinary experience.
To grind crickets, you can use mortar and pestle, a coffee grinder, or a household blender. The small handheld ones will even work. You just need to grind it into a rough powder. The rougher it is, the more noticeable the crunch.
10. CHOCOLATE CHIRP COOKIES
Chocolate Chirp Cookies are hard to resist!
People who are hesitant to try a whole cricket will usually succumb to eating crickets in a chocolate chirp cookie. The mild umami flavor of cricket pairs well with the cookie and chocolate chips. Sweet and savory!
Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects and an Entomophagist is someone who eats bugs. Chocolate Chirp Cookies are a great initiation into Entomophagy and will make you a proud Entomophagist.
Hint: When you say you’re an Entomophagist, everyone will think you have a degree, that you went to school. Instead, you just ate a cookie.
Adding Crickets to Your Diet Makes Sense
Crickets are super healthy. They’re nutritious, use way less land and water than other animal proteins, they are sustainable and raised humanely.
Yes, there’s this unwarranted cultural fear to deal with. But, simple common sense supports this ancient high-protein food source that is still being enjoyed by billions of people today.
Our southern neighbor, Mexico, enjoys nearly 200 different insects as food and crickets are one of the most popular. For good reason. They’re a versatile protein source and they taste good.
Most people like the taste once they conquer their fear and give it a try.
PLEASE NOTE
People that are allergic to shellfish may be allergic to crickets.
Make sure you buy crickets that are raised specifically for human consumption.
Looking for whole roasted crickets? Here’s a resource that has all the different package sizes. For reference, there are from 3,000 to 5,000 crickets per pound.
Do you want to purchase cricket powder that is finely ground enough to put into anything from baked goods to smoothies? Here’s a good online resource.
