What could be more locavore than going outside, getting some indigenous wildlife and putting it on your pizza? That’s just what folks in Mildura, Australia, did when they suffered a plague of locusts this year. It makes sense—when life gives you locusts, make locust pizza!
There is no reason foodies all over can’t adopt this pest-foraging to include the snails, worms, and other urban snacks they come across in the urban jungle. No need for chickens in the backyard when you’ve got ants in the kitchen, right? Or you could use locusts to expand your knowledge of world cuisine. The Desert Locust Information Service, part of the Migratory Pests Group, has several recipes, including ones from Cambodia and Swaziland.
Here’s one:
[T]ake several dozen locust adults, preferably females, slit the abdomen lengthwise and stuff a peanut inside. Then lightly grill the locusts in a wok or hot frying pan, adding a little oil and salt to taste. Be careful not to overcook or burn them.
I applaud Mayor Greg Milne for working to elevate the lowly locust, and I think he has a good chance of making them into a hot commodity. Nothing attracts foodies like scarcity, and locusts only come every seven years. That’s less often than ramps!