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Comment by tellarin | Hacker News Reader

In many places people have no trouble eating them; some are even considered a delicacy.

From the ones I've tried, some are actually pretty tasty. The best are: bamboo worm, barbecued silk worm, fried spider, water roach, and fried crickets.

If anybody is curious, I can comment more on these and others. :)

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Spiders and crickets seem like they would be mostly exoskeleton. Which bits do you eat, and how do you avoid getting all that chitin in your teeth?

For crickets, yes, when fried they just become salty and crunchy. And you can eat the whole thing. Which is great with beer. :)

For spiders, I've only had the larger ones. So there is actually some "meat". And the taste reminds me of crab.

Don't know about spiders, but as for grasshoppers, crickets and locusts, gently swat with clothes to kill, remove anteannae, wings and leg spurs. Roasting is the best as it kills potential parasites and they taste best that way (as well as helping to easier powderize all that chitin).

I'm guessing the tastiness is just from the seasoning / barbecue flavor on the outside?

It depends. Some coconut larvae taste great by themselves. The squishy inside of barbecued silk worms are also pretty good, for example.

But for many insects, yes, the seasoning is what counts. Or they can be just part of a more elaborate dish.

Where do I go to get them, and how do I prepare them?

I currently live in Asia, so it's relatively easy for me to find them. Where are you based? If in the US, I suggest looking on the Internet for some cicada recipes! Roasted.

Most insects can just be fried. Sometimes people add some salt, or some other sauce/seasoning and that's it.

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