Though many of us in Western societies are decidedly squeamish about the idea of dining on insects, humans have been eating them for millennia. Anthropologists think that civilizations in the Fertile Crescent and Europe turned away from eating insects with the advent of agriculture. Livestock supplied us with leather, wool, milk, and transportation, in addition to a reliable supply of meat. Insects couldn’t provide so many essentials, so they became less important to us, especially as we began to view them as undesirable crop pests. Still, insects remained a delicacy in the West as recently as Ancient Rome.
Related: 7 Appalling Meat Facts You Need To Know
The United Nations wants us to start thinking of insects as a tempting dish again, and the organization is trying to challenge the disgust many people feel towards them. The UN sees edible insects as the future of food security for an overpopulated planet for three reasons: Insects are extremely nutritious, insect farming is easy on the environment, and raising insects has untapped economic potential.