Creepy, Crawly Snacks Around The World (INFOGRAPHIC)

From Lonely Planet's new book, How to Land a Jumbo Jet, a visual exploration of travel facts, figures and ephemera. Available now from Lonely Planet.

Are you into entomophagy? Not sure? It's the practice of eating insects, and a large percentage of the world's population does this every day without thinking "Eew, gross -- I just ate a bug."

In fact the number one reason that people eat bugs in North Thailand is simple: insects are tasty.

And it turns out they're not just delicious but nutritious as well. Hungry on the road? Don't pass up a cricket.

Click the image below for the full-size infographic.

Comments

[lopsidedly]

08:03 PM on 11/01/2011

don't you just hate it when the legs and shells get caught in your teeth and throat

[TomMartin]

07:42 PM on 11/01/2011

The Bible considers only some grasshopper type of insects to be kosher to eat.

[jgmrealestate]

07:25 PM on 11/01/2011

If we ever run out of food and things get to the soylent green area then we will become hunters again, or fisherman or well eat people and 1 day well eat the brain and the next well eat fish we caught and go to the market and buy a pound of our neighbor who passed away last week from eating bugs. Well figure it out little cat fried rice.

[Al Schrader]

07:11 PM on 11/01/2011

Sorry, but, I don't eat bugs....Al-

[William Trexler]

06:19 PM on 11/01/2011

if out of food i would eat my neighber first...she's hot..lol

[xxgreyeyes]

06:08 PM on 11/01/2011

I will eat it if I don't know what it is. Also if I can't notice it.

[lthrnck68]

05:45 PM on 11/01/2011

This article is no surprize to someone who has watched more than a few episodes of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. Spiders, ants, larvae, crickets, grasshoppers, bees, etc.

[usaalltheway1]

05:15 PM on 11/01/2011

In a diaster of earth ending size the ones who would survive are the ones who could adapt to different foods, those saying no thanks,no way, yuk, would just be a vague memorie,, sad but they would die rather than adapt,,

[gdzilla2]

04:57 PM on 11/01/2011

I knew better than to click on this....omg UGH! I guess if it is common to a culture to eat bugs and stuff it is no biggie but for me...no thanks! Guess I have never been hungry enough to look at a bug or worm and say...Hmmmm looks like dinner!

[hard2swallovv8]

04:53 PM on 11/01/2011

I've tried chocolate covered grasshoppers and bees, not bad at all. I'd most likely try a dish with insects in it, providing I knew what they were before I dug in.

[mamoseley3]

04:43 PM on 11/01/2011

Tell the Netherland scientists to keep their disgusting ideas of eating insects to themselves. YUK! They can have my share.............. Disgusting!

[hman570]

04:33 PM on 11/01/2011

Hold on Ameria will be sending you ad shortly!!

[GOODDOC1]

04:30 PM on 11/01/2011

In some parts of the world, insects are the main source of protein for people. We think it's wierd, but there are people overseas who think peanut butter is gross and disgusting. I think it all depends on what you've grown up on.

[candyazzbb]

04:24 PM on 11/01/2011

just because people eat it doesnt make it right lol

[Inspiringangela]

04:14 PM on 11/01/2011

Little boys in America eat bugs all the time. They only figure out it's gross when the little girls squeal and they see their mothers' mortified faces. Maybe it's something primal, similar to their lifelong desire to pee outside. (Or more likely, somebody dared 'em to do it.) We've all seen it. The boy who eats a bug, the teen who eats a goldfish, the adult male who eats a whopping ball of wasabi.

[kathyboling100]

04:39 PM on 11/01/2011

Fanned and faved!

Maybe they do these things more because of that annoying brain flow problem, rather than instinctively?