(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Insects will be on the menu for hundreds of thousands of people over the next 10 days in West Allis, Wis. No, it’s not some “Fear Factor” stunt — it’s the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair.
The fair, which runs through Aug. 13, opened its gates Thursday.
For many, one of the fair’s main attractions is its menu: known for classic items including cream puffs, corn dogs and cheese curds. Cotton candy beef jerky, dill pickle doughnuts, and cheese fries covered in a camel-meat chili are probably worth highlighting, too.
But two of this year’s new offerings will be sure to stand out, thanks to their key ingredient: bugs.
There’s “bug chow mein,” a mixture of teriyaki noodles tossed with sauteed crickets, worms, ants, june bugs, and juicy Sago worms. A fortune cookie is also included.
For dessert, the “bug brownie on-a-stick” features candy corn, ants, crickets, worms, and a scorpion piled on top of chocolate frosting. You read that right: Candy corn.
It’s worth noting that edible insects are eaten regularly in many cultures across the world and are considered a delicacy in some places. Beetles, beetle larvae such as Sago worms, ants, and crickets can be a common snack depending on where one is in the world. One report stated that the Southeast Asia edible insects market could reach $1.58 billion by 2023.
Of course, entomophagy — the eating of insects — has remained uncommon in North America and Europe, but the practice has grown a little more in popularity over the years.
Some have drawn comparisons between insects and shellfish, as both are technically arthropods, which means they have no backbone. Instead, they have an exoskeleton, a segmented body and jointed appendages.
That’s partially why officials with the Wisconsin State Fair warned people with shellfish allergies against trying any of the edible bug-based dishes.
At least those folks can still go for the cream puffs.
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