Friday May 9, 2025
HE
NEWSLETTER
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
Home Lifestyle Food

Are kosher grasshopper snacks the next big delicacy?

For her final project, visual communication student Amit Eitan conceived an entire marketing initiative designed to persuade the Israeli public to eat grasshoppers – a food truck that would sell fried grasshoppers, candy-coated grasshoppers, and fruit-flavored grasshopper juice. Bottoms up!

by  Eliyahu Galil/Makor Rishon
Published on  08-10-2019 10:25
Last modified: 08-09-2019 13:31
Are kosher grasshopper snacks the next big delicacy?Amit Eitan

Amit Eitan's cone of fried grasshoppers | Photo: Amit Eitan

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Amit Eitan, 26, a visual communication student at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem says that a paper cone of fried grasshoppers she placed in two-week exhibit would have to be refilled every two days because people were eating them.

For her final project, Eitan came up with an entire marketing initiative that would encourage the Israeli public to eat insects. She named the project "Hagavit," from the Hebrew word for grasshopper, hagav.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"The world can't keep pace with population growth and people are looking for new sources of food, like insects," Eitan explains.

"Grasshoppers are eaten in third-world countries, but the West is less open to the idea of eating insects, which carries negative cultural baggage. … When I researched the topic, I found out that grasshoppers are kosher, so are a foodstuff that meets almost everyone's needs. The fact that they're kosher makes them sound more edible. In Yemen and Morocco, there is a history of eating grasshoppers, and that piqued my interest," she says.

Eitan added that many Israelis who have traveled in the Far East are familiar with grasshoppers being sold as snacks in markets.

"The problem is that there, it really doesn't look appetizing. I come from the world of design, and I tried to think about how branding could be used to change social perceptions and cause people to eat grasshoppers more readily. I went with a 'street food' concept, but I took it to a more tempting place in terms of a pleasant, colorful design with a young vibe that sorts of references the Far East.

"The result was Hagavit – a food truck. The Hagavit reaches everyone – like locusts move from place to place – and spreads the word of grasshoppers as it offers different products. The basic product is Hagachips, whole fried grasshoppers that are sold in a paper cone. The simplest, most down-to-earth thing."

Feeling thirsty after enjoying a grasshopper snack? Wash it down with a bottle of grasshopper juice Amit Eitan

To wash down the Hagachips, the food truck offers Hagmitz (fruit-flavored grasshopper juice); Hagshuk (a grasshopper snack made with dried zucchini, beet, and tomato; Hagcao (milk, dark, or white chocolate with bits of grasshopper); Hagbis (a single grasshopper dipped in a sweet coating such as pistachio crème); and Hagtea (herbal teabags that contain pieces of grasshopper). Mmm, delicious.

Eitan bought the grasshoppers from a farm owned by Yagel Kochavi, an agronomy student who is working to encourage the consumption of insects. She fried them in a pan that belongs to the apartment she shares with her roommates.

"My friends dealt with it well. It was even funny, and there are still grasshoppers in the freezer," she says.

Responses to her grasshopper initiative were mixed. "Some ate them, and there were others who were disgusted and refused to try them, but there were people who eventually tasted them after swearing they never would. … I even know vegans who support eating grasshoppers because raising them causes less environmental damage [than raising animals]."

Has Eitan sampled her own wares?

"I knew I couldn't market grasshoppers without tasting them myself, so I was very open to the idea. But when you look at the plate and see the creature in front of you – eyes, legs, everything – it was hard for me. After 10 minutes, I put one in my mouth and after the first grasshopper, it's easy to eat the rest. They're crispy and the grasshopper takes on the flavor of the seasoning."

Tags: brandingfoodsustainability

Related Posts

Shell shocked: Man finds snail in McDonald's hamburgerCourtesy

Shell shocked: Man finds snail in McDonald's hamburger

by Roni Shkedy

"How does something like this happen at a huge chain? Where is the supervision? And what's the message to consumers...

How Israel's most beloved snack became a cultural iconCourtesy

How Israel's most beloved snack became a cultural icon

by Yael Laor

In the Israeli food landscape, teeming with ever-changing trends and innovations, one product has managed to outlast them all for...

The secret life of insects: Check your paprikaAP/Milk Street

The secret life of insects: Check your paprika

by ILH Staff

You probably have bugs in your paprika – here's what you need to do to prevent it.

Menu

Analysis 

Archaeology

Blogpost

Business & Finance

Culture

Exclusive

Explainer

Environment

 

Features

Health

In Brief

Jewish World

Judea and Samaria

Lifestyle

Cyber & Internet

Sports

 

Diplomacy 

Iran & The Gulf

Gaza Strip

Politics

Shopping

Terms of use

Privacy Policy

Submissions

Contact Us

About Us

The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30, 2007. Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better, more balanced and more accurate journalism. Journalism that speaks, not shouts. Journalism of a different kind. And free of charge.

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

Newsletter

[contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”]

  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il