Fried mealworms: The newest fair food?

When it comes to the stars of this year’s crop of fair food, everyone’s been talking about the deep-fried butter and doughnut burger, but what about the fried mealworms?

Purdue University’s Tom Turpin, an etymologist by trade, grossed out and intrigued a packed house in the Pioneer Hi-Bred Our Land Pavilion on Saturday by sautéing mealworms in butter and then feeding them to the audience during his “Let’s Cook Some Bugs” demonstration.

“Where else can you get free fair food?” Turpin asked. Clearly, some people in the audience also understood the adage “nothing in life is free,” as in tasting the mealworms would cost them their lunch.

For those that were brave enough to eat the mealworms, they described the taste as “peanut-ty,” “like shellfish” and, my personal favorite, “I just never tasted anything like this before.”

Before you ask, yes, Turpin has been grilling grubs and other bugs for 35 years. He said he tried it as a way to offer something different to a 4-H roundup at the time. Needless to say, mission accomplished.

Check out Turpin’s treats in the video below:

Submitted by Kristofer Karol