Although it's an idea that still turns stomachs, the consumption of insects will form an important part of human food in the future.
And it's not today that you risk putting ants and larvae on the plate: this nutritious food has been consumed for thousands of years and is already part of the diet of billions of people.
If eating insects may seem like something to fearless people, or just to fancy restaurants, it is worth mentioning that the farofa de içá, made from the queen of the ant ants, is a traditional part of the gastronomic culture of Vale do Paraíba, in SP, for example.
In São José do Barreiro, Rancho Gastronomia e Cultura has as its iconic dish, farofa made with the abdomen of these insects, also known as tanajuras.
Named "the caviar of caipira people" by the writer Monteiro Lobato (1882-1948), the içás are collected during the first thunderstorms of spring and then prepared with flour.
In São Paulo it is also possible to eat insects in restaurants run by famous chefs.
At D.O.M, by the star Alex Atala, ants, which have a flavor reminiscent of lemongrass, have been served for over a decade.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon