Bugs for dinner?

You're not going to find beetles on the menu at McDonalds, but that doesn't mean people around the world don't eat insects. Many insects are actually good for you. They tend to be high in protein -- a nutrient that helps build muscle and supply energy. Insects also tend to be lower in fat content than traditional meat. A pound of grasshoppers contains 12 percent less fat than a pound of hamburger.

The ancient Greeks and Romans saw beetle larvae as a gourmet meal. Before cooking up a batch, they fed the larvae flour and wine. Today, many people eat insects.

In regions of Africa, some people peel up tree bark to harvest rhicoceros beetle larvae (shown below). In China, beekeepers are known for eating bee larvae, and Japanese restaurants sometimes serve aquatic fly larvae cooked in sugar and soy s auce. In Bali, people enjoy drangonflies boiled in coconut milk. Yum! In Latin America, roasted cicadas, tarantulas, and ants make for good snacks. But you've got to be careful about eating ants. Ants contain high levels of formic acid, a chemical that gives them a very spicy, peppery taste.