What if Roman Insect Farming ?

"The ancient Romans and Greeks dined on insects. Pliny, the first-century Roman scholar and author of Historia Naturalis, wrote that Roman aristocrats loved to eat beetle larvae reared on flour and wine.
Aristotle, the fourth-century Greek philosopher and scientist, described in his writings the ideal time to harvest cicadas: "The larva of the cicada on attaining full size in the ground becomes a nymph; then it tastes best, before the husk is broken. At first the males are better to eat, but after copulation the females, which are then full of white eggs."
The Old Testament encouraged Christians and Jews to consume locusts, beetles, and grasshoppers. St. John the Baptist is said to have survived on locusts and honey when he lived in the desert."
Source

So lets say some clever entrepreneur came up and successful realized the concept of farming/breeding insects. Maybe to supply aristocrats with insects in the off seasons or to select for especially tasty bugs. He might start simple by feeding them different stuff, to see if it changes how they taste.
Later the concepts spreads trough the roman Empire and never gets lost. How would the world change if insects, and insect farming had become and stayed an important part of Western culture ?



There was also an earlier discussion of the topic which can be found here:

What if earlier and more widespread insect farming?

Two points/questions raised back then are addressed in the opening text, at least I think. First, apparently there wasn't such a strong taboo in the classic Western world as it emerged later and second some insect larvae were apparently seen as a culinary luxury good. So it might make sense to invest time and money to raise them. Additionally, if their taste can be changed by feeding them a slightly different diet, that may be enough to justify actual farming.
 
Odd question from me:

If the ancient Romans and Greeks like eating insects so much, how come the West stopped?

A number of cultures today still eat bugs, so how come Western Europe stopped?
 
Odd question from me:

If the ancient Romans and Greeks like eating insects so much, how come the West stopped?

A number of cultures today still eat bugs, so how come Western Europe stopped?

They didn't like it very much. Greco-Roman upper class cuisine was very much defined by fashion, and insects presented a challenge to inventive cooks the same way that other plain, simple dishes did. At heart, though, insects were a seasonal and commonplace food, not a status indicator (too easy to obtain) nor a staple (not reliable and big enough).

I think the best way to make insect farming break out is to provide some kind of novelty value.
 
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