How to Cook Insects for Food
If you are in a survival situation, searching for something to eat in the environment around you, consider insects. You'll need protein and insects are surprisingly simple to find and prepare, especially if you are in a desert environment. They're not as bad-tasting as you might think; they just need to be cooked correctly.
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Instructions
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Look for shady spots and areas that retain moisture. Examples include under rocks, beneath and in trees and shrubs, and in caves or crevasses. These are the most likely places to find insects.
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Collect crawling insects in a metal pot or cup with a lid. If a pot or cup with a lid isn't available, improvise with a bag or some other container-like object that you can somewhat seal. If you come across insect larvae, collect that, too. Beetles and grasshoppers are especially good finds.
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Prepare a small fire using a match and some kindling. Use some green (non-dry) sticks to make a teepee support for your pot or cup. If you don't have a pot or cup, dig a pit 6 inches deep and about 1 foot wide and 1 foot long, then carve out a small compartment directly out of one side, also 6 inches deep but perhaps just 4 inches wide by 4 inches long. Build your fire in the large (1 foot by 1 foot) section of the fire pit, then use the smaller (4 inches by 4 inches) section as your cooking area. The heat from the adjacent flames will be hot enough to cook anything, from insects to red meat.
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Remove wings and barbed legs from large insects. Ants and other small insects are fine as they are. If you have grasshoppers, remove the legs as well. For beetles, be sure to remove the shells. Cook the insects well to rid them of parasites.
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Once the insects have been subjected to the heat of the flames and coals for at least 10 minutes, they should be ready for eating.
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Tips & Warnings
You may wish to grind the insects into a paste and mix it with edible vegetation. If you aren't sure which vegetation is edible, however, strictly avoid this.
As a rule, stay away from spiders, scorpions, and centipedes altogether--some of these are poisonous.
- Photo Credit Photo by Craig Jewell.
