The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has said that eating insects can help us fight hunger and malnutrition. This is considering they are rich in protein, and farming them can be more sustainable and environment-friendly. Now, even though the idea can invoke disgust, perhaps even shame, in many people, insects have been part of the human diet for centuries.

In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi and Tansha Vohra to talk about the past, present and future of eating insects in India. They discuss what insects are the most popular as food, why certain foods are considered inferior, the concerns around popularizing this practice, and their favourite insect recipes.

Shrishta Aparna Pallavi, writes about indigenous people and their traditions and foods, and has given an acclaimed TED talk on what food our ancestors loved.

Tansha Vohra is a permaculture designer, and runs the Boochi project, which explores insect eating in India.