Buffalo worm cupcakes: how insects can feed the world – in pictures

If birds, mice, anteaters, apes and our hominoid ancestors eat insects, why shouldn't we? Many people in Asia, Africa and Latin America consider insects a special treat. In the tropics, insects are often more expensive, pound for pound, than meat – just like shrimp in Europe. At this stall in Laos, grasshoppers and ant pupae are sold alongside mushrooms, vegetables and herbs
Photograph: Arnold van Huis

This Flower Power salad serves four as an appetiser and is made with lettuce, edible flowers, 12 grasshoppers and a measure of mealworms. Prepare and dress the salad, then fry the insects over medium-high heat for about two minutes, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and scatter them over the salad
Photograph: Floris Scheplitz

Grasshoppers can be roasted or fried and are perfect as a spicy snack, like the Mexican chapulines. But it's best to remove wings and legs before cooking
Photograph: Oscar Espinosa / Demotix / Corbis

This minestrone adds insects to the traditional recipe, with 6oz buffalo worms and 2oz mealworms. The insects are toasted over a medium-high heat and added to the soup just before serving
Photograph: Floris Scheplitz

Mealworms are raised on dry feed such as grains or fresh carrots, and are moved regularly on to fresh food
Photograph: Peter Jordan / Alamy

Insects can also be used undercover in processed foods, as in this sausage burger made with 6oz mealworms and a pound of minced beef. The worms are kneaded together with the beef, onion, egg, breadcrumbs and spices, then fried until cooked through and served in a bun with salad and barbecue sauce
Photograph: Floris Scheplitz

Buffalo worms go through a full life cycle when they are reared for consumption. First beetles lay the eggs in trays filled with grain or fresh vegetables, then the larvae hatch and grow for about four weeks before they are ready for sale
Photograph: Jerry Lampen / Corbis

Buffalo worms taste a lot like peanuts, and can replace nuts as in these chocolate cupcakes. After beating the eggs with sugar, gradually adding the dry ingredients and then beating in the milk, the worms are folded into the mixture with diced apple
Photograph: Floris Scheplitz

I have eaten insects all around the world and have always enjoyed them. Insects such as mealworms are much more efficient than cattle or pigs in terms of both land use and feed conversion, and are already an established food source for two billion people. With 70% of agricultural land already used to grow livestock, and the population expected to rise to nine billion by 2050, insects are the best food source at hand to meet future demand
Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit / EPA