It may seem trendy now, but eating bugs is really nothing new. We welcome our first filmmaker to the Real Food Traveler team, Dennis Cieri. Here, Dennis shares his short film, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the kitchen of The Black Ant restaurant and the mind of Chef Mario Hernandez. 

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Ants, Anyone? Chef Mario Hernandez Serves Unique Mexican Treats in a New York Restaurant

Chef Mario Hernandez grew up in Cuernavaca, Mexico, munching on insect treats at his grandma’s Sunday dinners. She would go to the nearby peasant market early to shop for ants, grasshoppers and black beetles dubbed toritos, which means “little bulls” because of their tiny horns. Sometimes she would grind them with a mortar into a powder, mixing it into chilies, salsas and other dishes as a seasoning. Other times she would roast the insects whole with various spices. “They were salty, sour, spicy, and always crunchy—like chips,” Hernandez says.

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Nowadays, Hernandez himself serves the insects in his New York East Village restaurant called The Black Ant. And there are plenty of bug flavors on the menu. The guacamole comes sprinkled with chicatanas, black ants hand-picked in Mexico and roasted with garlic and chili. Croquetas de Chapulin, little finger-food balls are made from yucca and grasshopper flours, with those chapulines legs sticking out to remind you how crunchy they will be. Even drinks, prepared by mixologist Gustavo Ortega-Oyarzun arrive “buggy” with critters planted in them. His signature drink, Yum Kaax, a corn-and-mezcal cocktail named after the god of maize, is served in a glass rimmed with spicy ant salt. And it comes with neither a twist of lime nor a slice of lemon, but rather with a shiny roasted grasshopper perched on an orange peel. Cheers and bon appetite!

The Black Ant
60 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
Visit them on their website.

And now, enjoy this video by Dennis Cieri about The Black Ant restaurant in New York.