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Edible Termites

Edible termites are harvested insects eaten roasted, fried, or incorporated into traditional dishes.

Edible Termites — illustrative ingredient image

About Edible Termites

Edible termites are termites harvested for human consumption, often winged adults or other collectable castes chosen according to local practice. Different species and castes produce products that vary in size, colour, fatness, and texture. They may be eaten whole, seasoned as snacks, or added to savoury dishes.

Roasting and frying make the insects crisp, while drying produces a firmer, lighter food suited to storage. Fresh termites can be softer and more delicate. Flavour may be nutty, toasted, earthy, or savoury, with the result shaped by species, caste, maturity, harvest condition, cooking, and seasoning.

They may be sold fresh, roasted, fried, or dried. Wings and other unwanted parts can be removed before or after cooking, while some preparations retain the complete insect. Whole bodies are the usual form, although termites may also be crushed or incorporated into prepared dishes.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where edible termites appears

1 linked foods

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Snacks

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for edible termites

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Edible Termites

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Edible Termites nutrition & diet

Edible Termites nutritional value

Termite, dried, raw — WAFCT 07_082

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the named food form.

Calories
518kcal
Protein
34.1g
Carbs
8.7g
Fat
37.7g

Per 100 g edible portion. Source: Vincent et al., FAO/INFOODS Food Composition Table for Western Africa (2019). Carbohydrate is available carbohydrate calculated by difference; square-bracketed fat in the source uses continuous-extraction analysis. Values describe this reference form, not every recipe, cultivar or preparation.

Portions & preparation

Establish the termite species, harvested stage, and preparation before selecting a reference. Roasted, fried, dried, boiled, and incorporated forms can differ substantially because processing may remove moisture or add oil. Use the edible insect portion only, excluding discarded wings, debris, or cooking ingredients unless the catalogue item includes them.

Compare the right form: Match the reference to the identified termite species, edible body portion, and exact roasted, fried, dried, boiled, or recipe form.

Diet considerations

Termites are animals, so a plain edible-insect preparation is not plant-based. Compatibility changes with frying oils, animal fats, seasoning mixes, cereal coatings, sauces, or incorporation into a mixed dish. Species, harvesting practice, and recipe should be established before drawing dietary conclusions about the catalogue entry.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically incompatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically incompatible
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically incompatible
The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
Vegetarian · Typically incompatible
The profile identifies animal flesh, seafood or a derivative excluded by a vegetarian diet.
Pescatarian · Not established
The animal source or category needs checking against the pescatarian definition.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: FAO/INFOODS Food Composition Table for Western Africa (2019) — 07_082 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .