This story might bug you, but in this case it’s supposed to and we don’t care: Maine’s first ever edible insect lunch and dinner will be held Monday at Bao Bao Dumpling House in Portland.

Chefs Zach Pratt and Keshia Thanephonesy, co-founders of Boba, an Asian fusion restaurant in Lewiston, will prepare a la carte dishes using edible insects as ingredients from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and then again from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Bao Bao is located at 133 Spring St. No reservations are necessary.

The insects are being supplied by Entosense, an online company that sells everything from spicy grasshoppers to crunchy scorpions. The company’s offices and insect farm are located in the Hill Mill in Lewiston.

Monday’s menu will include Sum Tum, which is green papaya, carrots and long beans served with toasted crickets and chili vinaigrette; bacon-fried rice made with sweet corn, cured bacon, jasmine rice, scallion, and garlicky meal worm; and shumai (dumplings) of scallops and shoyu maguey worm.

Pratt competed on the Food Network TV show Chopped on Tuesday, and did not win. We’re willing to bet the ingredients he’s working with Monday are scarier than anything that comes out of a Chopped mystery box.

Zach Pratt and Keshia Thanephonesy (Contributed photo)


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