Insects are currently one of the hottest food trends and a Toronto grocer is finding unique ways to get people eating them.
One of the most popular offerings at the Summerhill Market is grasshopper pie, which lives up to its name with a crust made mostly of ground-up crickets, mint filling and chocolate-covered grasshoppers as topping.
“(The ground cricket) is almost like a roasted peanut,” said Thea Bourne, the head pastry chef at the market.
For those who aren’t in the mood for pie, there are peanut butter balls featuring oats, coconut, chocolate chips and mealworms.
“It’s totally weird and…it’s kind of crazy, but I think a lot of food is crazy,” said Brad McMullen, Summerhill Market’s general manager.
The grocer also offers bags of raw bugs, both in bulk and in snack-sized confections.
So far, customer reaction to the insects is mixed.
“There’s certainly a small percentage that just won’t do it and there’s another smaller percentage that’s like, ‘Awesome. Bring it on. Let’s do this,’” McMullen said.
Despite many people’s reluctance, there is a health-conscious reason to eat insects. Both mealworms and crickets are very high in protein.
McMullen said for every two grams of insects, there is one gram of protein.
The insects are also environmentally sustainable.
Staff at Summerhill Market say that while it’s only an experiment for now, they will create a larger selection if the insects prove popular with customers.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Scott Lightfoot
