Cricket Flour (Modern Context)
What it is
Roasted **house crickets (Acheta domesticus) milled into a fine powder** — the modern, industrial face of edible insects, engineered as a sustainable protein and flour additive.
How it's made
Farmed crickets are cleaned, roasted, and ground into a fine, shelf-stable flour (sometimes defatted), often blended with wheat or other flours.
Flavor profile
Mild, nutty, faintly earthy/malty; subtle enough to disappear into baked goods at low percentages.
How it functions in cooking — A protein-fortifying ingredient/additive rather than a standalone food: blended into protein bars, baked goods, pasta, tortillas, and shakes (typically 5–20% of the flour) for a protein and micronutrient boost.
Regional variations
Driven by Western and global sustainable-food startups, with significant cricket farming in Thailand (which has deep cricket-eating traditions) supplying the industry.
Cultural & historical context
Bridges ancient entomophagy and 21st-century sustainability: insects require far less land, water, and feed than livestock per gram of protein, making cricket flour a flagship of the alternative-protein movement.
Reference notes
Tags: `insect`, `cricket-flour`, `milled`, `modern`, `sustainable`. Related: chapulines, protein flours. Cuisine: global/modern. Links → Entomophagy, Alternative Proteins, Sustainable Food.
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| Ingredient | Category | Origin | Process | Role | Eaten as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prosciutto di Parma / San Daniele | Cured Pork | Italy | Salt-cured, air-dried (no additives) | Raw ham | Centerpiece |
| Jamón Ibérico | Cured Pork | Spain | Acorn-fed, long-cured | Raw ham | Centerpiece |
| Jamón Serrano | Cured Pork | Spain | Salt-cured, air-dried | Raw ham | Centerpiece |
| Pancetta | Cured Pork | Italy | Cured belly (tesa/arrotolata) | Flavor base | Cooked |
| Guanciale | Cured Pork | Italy | Cured jowl | Essential fat base | Cooked |
| Lardo di Colonnata | Cured Pork | Italy | Marble-basin cured fat | Garnish/fat | Raw/melted |
| Coppa / Capicola | Cured Pork | Italy | Cured neck muscle | Charcuterie | Raw |
| Speck | Cured Pork | Italy (S. Tyrol) | Smoked + air-cured ham | Ham | Raw/cooked |
| Nduja | Cured Pork | Italy (Calabria) | Fermented, chili-rich, spreadable | Seasoning | Spread/cooked |
| Lap Cheong | Cured Pork | China | Sweet cured/dried sausage | Seasoning protein | Cooked |
| Lap Yuk | Cured Pork | China | Cured/smoked belly | Seasoning protein | Cooked |
| Jinhua Ham | Cured Pork | China | Long dry-cured ham | Flavoring only | Cooked (stock) |
| Char Siu | Roasted Pork | China | BBQ-glazed roast | Prepared protein | Centerpiece |
| Longaniza | Pork Sausage | Phil./Carib. | Fresh or dried, regional | Protein | Cooked |
| Chorizo (Spanish/Mexican) | Pork Sausage | Spain/Mexico | Cured (ES) vs fresh (MX) | Seasoning/protein | Both |
| Bresaola | Cured Beef | Italy | Air-dried lean beef | Raw beef | Centerpiece |
| Cecina | Cured Beef | Spain/Mexico | Smoked-dried (ES)/thin-cured (MX) | Beef | Raw/grilled |
| Pastirma / Basturma | Cured Beef | Turkey/Armenia | Fenugreek-crusted, air-dried | Beef | Raw/fried |
| Biltong | Cured Beef | South Africa | Vinegar-cured, air-dried (no heat) | Snack protein | As-is |
| Droëwors | Dried Sausage | South Africa | Air-dried spiced sausage | Snack | As-is |
| Kitfo (context) | Raw Beef | Ethiopia | Raw, spiced butter (NOT preserved) | Dish | Raw |
| Corned Beef | Cured Beef | Irish-Amer./Jewish | Brine-cured | Protein | Boiled |
| Pastrami | Cured Beef | Jewish-American | Brined, smoked, steamed | Protein | Steamed |
| Salt Cod (Bacalao) | Preserved Fish | Atlantic/global | Salted + dried | Protein | Rehydrated |
| Dried Shrimp | Preserved Fish | E./SE Asia | Boiled + dried | Seasoning | Rehydrated/fried |
| Katsuobushi (Bonito) | Preserved Fish | Japan | Smoked + mold-fermented | Umami base | Shaved (dashi) |
| Niboshi / Myeolchi | Preserved Fish | Japan/Korea | Boiled + dried small fish | Stock base | Simmered |
| Bottarga | Preserved Roe | Italy (Sar./Sic.) | Salted, pressed, dried roe | Finishing umami | Grated |
| Conpoy (Dried Scallop) | Preserved Fish | China | Salted + dried | Luxury umami | Rehydrated |
| Stockfish | Preserved Fish | Norway | Air-dried, UNsalted | Protein | Long-soaked |
| Sababushi (Dried Mackerel) | Preserved Fish | Japan | Smoked + dried | Stock base | Shaved (dashi) |
| Bombay Duck (Bombil) | Preserved Fish | India | Sun-dried lizardfish | Pungent side | Fried |
| Dried Abalone | Preserved Fish | China | Salted, sun-dried | Banquet luxury | Multi-day braise |
| Dried Oysters (Ho See) | Preserved Fish | China | Boiled + dried | New Year umami | Braised |
| Tofu (all forms) | Soy Protein | E. Asia | Coagulated soy curd | Protein | Varies by form |
| Tempeh | Soy Protein | Indonesia | Whole-bean mold ferment | Protein | Cooked |
| Seitan / Fu / Mian Jin | Wheat Gluten | China/Japan | Washed wheat gluten | Mock-meat protein | Cooked |
| Natto | Soy Protein | Japan | B. subtilis ferment | Protein | Over rice |
| Century Egg (Pidan) | Preserved Egg | China | Alkaline cure | Garnish/protein | As-is |
| Salted Duck Egg | Preserved Egg | China/Phil. | Salt cure | Yolk prize | Boiled/baked |
| Yuba (Tofu Skin) | Soy Protein | China/Japan | Skimmed soymilk film, dried | Protein/wrapper | Rehydrated |
| Chapulines | Insect | Mexico | Toasted grasshopper | Snack/garnish | As-is |
| Escamoles | Insect | Mexico | Harvested ant larvae | Delicacy | Sautéed |
| Maguey Worm | Insect | Mexico | Fried agave caterpillar | Delicacy/salt | Fried/ground |
| Beondegi | Insect | Korea | Boiled silkworm pupae | Snack | As-is |
| Palm Weevil Larvae | Insect | W. Africa/SE Asia | Grilled/fried grub | Delicacy | Cooked |
| Cricket Flour | Insect | Global/modern | Roasted + milled | Protein additive | Blended |
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