Bugs: Chocolate's New Secret Ingredient?

Leave it to the French to make bugs sound sexy.

French chocolatier Sylvain Musquar has introduced to his line of chocolates--get this--hazelnut and almond pralines topped with crickets and worms. To make the bugs look sexy too, Musquar coats them in edible gold dust. Quite beautiful to look at, the inspiration for these chocolates came from the use of insects in Asian cuisine.

This innovation in chocolate-making coincides with a recent United Nations report suggesting that the consumption of insects, which are a sustainable source of protein, could be an answer to global hunger. That report prompted MicroNutris, a Toulouse-based specialist company, to begin raising and distributing the insects which serve as Musquar's praline toppings.

Musquar's recommendation for consumers? "You mustn't fix your eyes too much on them, or pay too much attention otherwise you won't eat them." These fancy bug bites sell for 22 Euros per nine-piece, and while they may not be everyone's cup of tea, the chocolatier has already sold 60 boxes.