Locusts hanno invaso l’Ucraina. I locali hanno iniziato a venderli come esche per la pesca, mentre gli chef del ristorante stanno sperimentando nuovi piatti

Online marketplaces are filled with listings such as: “locusts – fishing bait” and “migratory locusts – feed for reptiles” while restaurant chefs are experimenting with dishes.

Chef Dmytro Horbachov shared that he is cooking locusts for the first time, using ones caught in Zaporizhzhia, where a locust invasion is currently being observed.

“We’re going to make two dishes. First, we’ll batter them using corn starch and regular flour. The second one, we will simply fry them in a pan with garlic, Ukrainian-style, homemade” 

According to him, before preparing locusts at home, they should be frozen, thoroughly washed, and cleaned. He added that in Asian countries, locusts are a common dish,  and due to the current invasion, Ukraine might soon follow this trend in its restaurants.

Locusts can be served either as a snack or even as a main course, as 100 grams of insects contain up to 25 grams of protein, along with fats, minerals, and vitamins.

Andrii Chmanov, the head chef another restaurant in Dnipro, said insects are nothing new to him. The restaurant’s menu already includes crickets and larvae. However, he is also preparing locusts for the first time.

“If a person is allergic to shrimp or shellfish, they should avoid eating locusts as well,” the chef warned. “The locust’s shell is very similar in composition to the chitin found in shrimp, lobsters, and crabs.”

He emphasized, however, that he will not be serving locusts collected from regions currently experiencing the invasion.

“You have to consider that the fields they come from are treated with pesticides, and the insects may carry those chemicals on them,” the chef said.

Interesting but peak reddit is saying cool eat bugs then nobody actually does ahah

(I know ur not saying that but still lol)

They need some seagulls to feed on them – reference [Miracle of the Gulls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_gulls)

So they’re like Mormon Crickets that can fly

Rich in protein and nutrients, just rather unusual for European eyes

Wonder if no man’s land and abandoned fields are acting like an ecological protected area – and now the biodiversity is starting to spill out.

I’ve tried cricket before and it was tasty. Insect eating isn’t uncommon around the world. When you think about it Lobster is basically a sea roach and it’s a delicacy ¯⁠⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯