Entomophagy is the name for people who eat insects. Having insects as part of the diet has been  practiced for centuries throughout Africa, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and North, Central and South America. But, American, Canadians and Europeans, as a rule, do not find the idea of eating a bug very appealing.

Many insects are low in fat, protein-rich and good sources of vitamins, minerals and fats. Sounds like toasted grasshopers should be the perfect snack for a weight reduction plan! Sugar-free insect lollipops are another low calorie snack. Surprisingly these insect treats do not come cheap. The lollipops are about $1.75 each. I didn’t realize that I had a gold mine hoovering over my fields during a recent grasshopper invasion. Instead of the grasshoppers eating my plants, I should have been catching them to make lollipops.

While insect lollipops might be a productive business in Asia, most Americans would only eat an insect to win money on a game show or to satisfy a dare.

Why would one group of people be pleased to receive a gift of chocolate covered insects while others would consider it a bad joke? The difference in attitude is due to a cultural taboo, which means it is learned behavior. For example, American children are taught not to eat bugs, while Asian parents serve insects to their children.

The taste of food involves more than just our sense of taste. It is the combination of flavor and aroma that makes foods have specific “tastes.” In fact, if you were unable to smell them, an onion and an apple would not taste any different.

Discover for Yourself

The person identifying the food must be blindfolded as well as holding their nose closed with their fingers. Small pieces of food are to be given to the food tester to identify. Try different foods, such as an apple, onion, and potato. These food have similar textures.

You can also use different fruit juices. The success of the investigation is for the tester to keep his or her nose closed until all the foods have been tasted and identified.

Note: The tester needs to only taste a small amount of food.

For more information about taste, see

Janice VanCleave’s Human Body for Every Kid.