Since the onset of the economic crisis, grasshoppers have risen in popularity as food. The price has likewise increased. Only five months ago, a bundle of 60 freshly caught grasshoppers cost Rp 1,500, but it is double today. Only live insects are sold because dead animals are reportedly not as tasty when cooked. Even the well-heeled are dishing up the animals on their plates.
Many buyers arrive in swank cars to sample fare at the. food stalls serving grasshoppers.
In the Philippines, like in Gunungkidul, grasshoppers are also sold in bunches at roadsides. Grasshoppers are safe to eat because of their vegetarian, leaf-based diet, she added. Grasshopper meat, just like cocoons, are believed to be high in protein. Rahayu once examined the protein content in cocoons, which are common food for people living in forests. Specific research on the protein of grasshoppers still needs to be conducted to discover its type, value to humans and whether it can be digested.