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Africa has more than 552 species of insects which are edible.

ANY CHILD GROWING UP IN THE 90S — OR their parents, for that matter — will likely recall the scene from The Lion King where Timon and Pumbaa introduce a young Simba to their staple diet.

“This looks like a good place to rustle up some grub,” says the meerkat as he lifts up a log to expose a plethora of creepy crawlies underneath. “These are rare delicacies,” he tells the lion cub. Their warthog friend slurps up a maggot before declaring, “Slimy, yet satisfying.”

The look of disgust on Simba’s face mimics those of many people when the idea of eating insects is mentioned. Yet, consuming bugs is something which has been done in Africa for centuries.

“Africa has more than 552 species of insects which are edible. They have been consumed in more than 45 countries across the continent by close to 300 million