In addition to being a pretty kick-ass insect, ants can also be enjoyed as a tasty snack! I know—it sounds gross, right? Before you put down this paper in disgust, you should remember that man has eaten insects for the entirety of his existence. The Greeks and Romans did it. Aristotle enjoyed many a handful of cicada larvae, and Pliny records savoring beetle larvae reared on flour and wine. John the Baptist fancied a nice, crunchy locust after a long day of preaching in the desert. Furthermore, a University of Ohio study estimates that the average person unknowingly eats one to two pounds of insects each year. So, despite your understandable reservations, eating ants is nothing new and you’ve probably done it before.

Believe it or not, ants are a food resource exploited all over the world. In Mexico, the larvae of two species of ant harvested from agave plants form the main ingredient of a dish called escamole. I have yet to try it myself, but it’s often compared to a nutty risotto with a hint of butter. Yum! In areas of India and Southeast Asia, the weaver ant, also called the green ant, is used in variety of dishes—from condiments to salads. The honeypot ant, which stores food for other ants to the point that its body swells up enormously, is a delicacy in Australia’s Northern Territory. You can even buy the candied ants online. On candywarehouse.com, you can get four pounds of chocolate covered ants for only $44.40 (not including shipping and handling). What a deal! Being the versatile creature that it is, the ant can satisfy even the most demanding of palates—whether you need a fancy hors d’oeuvre to impress a loved one, a box of candy for Valentine’s Day, or just something fried and crunchy to sober yourself up after a long night out.

Although we might find them slightly repulsive, ants actually have great nutritional value and are an incredibly convenient food. They are high in protein, contain calcium and iron, and are low in fat compared to other snacks—not to mention, incredibly abundant. It sucks to go to G-Heav at 3 a.m. only to discover that they are out of chicken parmagiana wraps and Fiji water. But with the ant, you will never go hungry. There are over 12,000 known species of ants and it is estimated that the world’s ant population exceeds 10 trillion. So, the next time your stomach is grumbling, instead of woofing down that burrito you bought on York Street, dip your hand in a jar of honey, sit down in a grassy area for a few minutes, and munch away! Just be sure to get them down before they lay eggs in your mouth.