With all the extra time at home we’re enjoying at the moment, many want to use this chance to make a positive change in their life. If you’re really serious about lessening your negative impact on the environment, why not try out entomophagy? The eating of insects and bugs.

Consuming bugs as a source of nutrition is an idea gaining traction to help relieve the environmental burden that the food industry puts on the planet. While many remain squeamish at the thought, proponents of entomophagy emphasise the wealth of benefits it can offer, both as a healthy snack and as a way to address environmental issues.

The amount of nutrients insects contain, including protein, calcium and iron, make them a very nutritionally efficient food, and compared to farm animals, the environmental effect of rearing bugs is overwhelmingly small.

One of these such proponents is Antcicada, a Japanese company which produces all kinds of awesome products to help push the insect-eating agenda. One of their famed dishes, cricket ramen, has now become available to be made and enjoyed at home, so even those stuck self-isolating can give it a try.

Via the company’s online shop, you can receive a box filled with all the components of a delicious cricket ramen.

Crickets are present in every part of the ramen-making process, and about 100 of the little guys go into making each bowl. The broth is made with two types of cricket, and even includes soy sauce and oil made from crickets. The noodles themselves also contain powdered cricket which has been kneaded into the dough.

But if the look of a fully formed cricket sitting atop the ramen is too much for you to bear, you can order the ramen set with or without the many-legged topping.

Since the ramen ingredients are all frozen, they can be kept for up to 30 days in the freezer and enjoyed at your leisure. Cricket-consumption converts and curious customers can choose from 2 servings (2200 yen), 4 (4200 yen) or 10 (10,000 yen), all available through Anticicada's online store.


By - Jess.