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Where to find ants, crickets and mealworms on the menu.
A dish sprinkled with insects used to be the ultimate culinary dare. Now they’re showing up all over town. Here’s where to find them.
,%20but%20she%20also%20makes%20a%20mean%20grasshopper%20taco.%20A%20house-pressed%20blue%20corn%20tortilla%20comes%20covered%20in%20crunchy,%20protein-packed%20chapulinas.%20They%E2%80%99re%20dried%20until%20crunchy%20and%20seasoned%20with%20ground%20mild%20Mexican%20pepper,%20then%20served%20with%20a%20slice%20of%20charred%20avocado,%20some%20green%20salsa%20and%20a%20wedge%20of%20lime.%20$8.50.%202222%20Queen%20St.%20E.,%20647-827-9070.%20Xolarestaurant.comDeath%20in%20Venice%E2%80%99s%20cricket%20gelatoMad%20scientist%20Kaya%20Ogruce%20churns%20out%20gelato%20in%20off-the-wall%20flavours%20like%20corn%20on%20the%20cob,%20pad%20Thai,%20hot%20pepper%20jelly%20and%20panna%20cotta,%20and%20rotating%20flavours%20that%20use%20crickets%20(both%20the%20powder%20and%20some%20whole-roasted%20critters)%20as%20a%20thickening%20agent.%20This%20chocolate%20ice%20cream%20is%20made%20with%20cricket%20powder%20instead%20of%20skim%20milk,%20and%20studded%20with%20chunks%20of%20cricket%20cookie.%20$4.50.%201418%20Dundas%20St.%20W.,%20416-509-3044.%C2%A0Deathinvenice.caEl%20Catrin%E2%80%99s%20cricket%20guacamoleAt%20the%20Distillery%20District%E2%80%99s%20massive%20Mexican%20restaurant,%20servers%20make%20the%20guacamole%20tableside%20with%20all%20the%20usual%20suspects%E2%80%94avocado,%20tomato,%20onion,%20cilantro,%20serrano%20chilies%E2%80%94and,%20for%20a%20few%20bucks%20extra,%20one%20atypical%20ingredient:%20whole%20roasted%20crickets%20for%20some%20added%20crunch.%20$19.25.%2018%20Tank%20House%20Ln.,%20416-203-2121.%20Elcatrin.caCookie%20Martinez%E2%80%99s%20pataconesChef%20Natalia%20Martinez%20is%20no%20stranger%20to%20creepy-crawlies.%20She%20hosted%20an%20Eating%20Insects%20dinner%20earlier%20this%20year,%20at%20which%20she%20served%20cricket%20empanadas,%20cricket%20p%C3%A2t%C3%A9%20and%20mealworm%20ceviche.%20For%20this%20dish,%20she%20tops%20patacones%20(deep-fried%20plantains)%20with%20mashed%20avocado,%20marinated%20ants%20and%20garlicky%20crickets.%20It%E2%80%99s%20finished%20off%20with%20a%20spicy%20sauce,%20lemon%20juice%20and%20sal%20de%20gusano%20de%20maguey%20(that%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%9Cworm%20salt%E2%80%9D%20en%20ingl%C3%A9s).%20$8.85.%201565%20Dupont%20St.,%20416-573-5817.%20Cookiemartinez.comSummerhill%20Market%E2%80%99s%20mealworm%20protein%20ballsThese%20house-made%20bites%20look%20like%20your%20standard%20protein%20ball%E2%80%94little%20golf%20ball%E2%80%93sized%20orbs%20of%20rolled%20oats%20and%20peanut%20butter%E2%80%94but%20they%20have%20a%20special%20ingredient:%20dried%20mealworms%20sourced%20from%20Entomo%20Farms,%20outside%20Peterborough.%20$3.99.%20446%20Summerhill%20Ave.,%20416-921-2714;%201054%20Mt.%20Pleasant%20Rd.,%20416-485-4471.%20Summerhillmarket.com%C2%A0[sjmcm%20layout=%22general_archive_list_10%22%20calling_post=%22507536%22%20posts=%2210:post_tag:future-of-food-2019:1:%22%20label=%22More%20Future%20of%20Food%20stories%22]These%20stories%20originally%20appeared%20in%20the%20November%202019%20issue%20of%20Toronto%20Life%20magazine.%20To%20subscribe,%20for%20just%20$29.95%20a%20year,%20click%20here.){kind=link}