Experts have been telling us for years that eating meat and dairy isn’t good for the environment. According to a study last year in Science Magazine, if we stopped consuming meat and dairy, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75 percent, and we could still feed the world.

With this in mind, one Israeli company HarGol Foodtech, has developed an alternative protein – sourced from grasshoppers.

Before you turn up your nose, think on this: grasshoppers are a sustainable food source rich in protein and amino acids, and with very low saturated fat and cholesterol.

They are kosher and Halal, have a very low water footprint, have low greenhouse gas emissions and zero-waste farming. They can also be produced all year round.

To celebrate this year’s World Environment Day on June 5, ISRAEL21c decided to give you inspiration to try something different with a special episode of Tayim: roasted grasshoppers in zaatar oil.

It’s a recipe that combines the best of Israel — a great new product farmed in Israel at the world’s first commercial grasshopper farm, and that classic Israeli flavor combination, zaatar and olive oil.

The recipe is below. And yes, believe it or not, everyone who tried it loved it! Click on the video to find out more.

Dry Roasted Grasshoppers with Zaatar Olive Oil

Ingredients
2 cups frozen grasshoppers
4 tablespoons zaatar
4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:
1. Remove the legs, wings, and heads of the grasshoppers, and rinse to clean.
2. Pat dry, and roast at 175 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes.
3. While baking, prepare the zaatar olive oil drizzle by mixing the two ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Once crunchy to the touch, remove the grasshoppers from the oven, and drizzle with the zaatar oil.
5. Garnish with lemon, and enjoy with an Israeli craft beer.