Could Cockroaches Become Future Food?

When people think of cockroaches, they usually think of dirty pests running around kitchens.
And honestly, there is a good reason for that.

Cockroaches have existed for about 300 million years and have survived almost unchanged.

They are famous for their incredible breeding ability, their habit of eating almost anything, and their remarkable survival skills.

Unfortunately, they can also spread diseases, trigger allergies and asthma, and contaminate food.

But here comes the surprising part.
In some countries, especially China, cockroaches are not only pests—they are also valuable resources.

Certain species, such as Dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches, are raised for food, medicine, animal feed, and even waste recycling.

These insects are not collected from dirty places.
They are raised in carefully controlled facilities with proper temperature, humidity, and clean food.

In China, some companies even use large high-tech buildings where artificial intelligence helps manage billions of cockroaches.

Before being processed for food or medicine, the insects go through strict cleaning procedures.

They are fasted for several days to empty their digestive systems, washed thoroughly, sterilized with high-temperature steam, and then dried and processed into powder or liquid extracts.

One reason scientists are interested in cockroaches is that they produce powerful antimicrobial (항균제) substances and special peptides that may help wound healing and tissue regeneration.

In fact, China produces a well-known stomach medicine called Kangfuxin Liquid (강복신액) from cockroach extracts.

Dubia cockroaches are also widely used as food for reptiles such as geckos, chameleons, and hedgehogs.

Researchers in Europe and the United States have even studied cockroach brains in the search for new antibiotics.

So here is my question.
If insects really become an important food source in the future, could I eat a cockroach?

Right now, my answer is probably "No way!"
But if I were extremely hungry for a week, and someone served me a clean, farm-raised Dubia cockroach fried until crispy and golden brown, with a flavor somewhere between shrimp and roasted nuts...
Well, maybe I would at least take one bite!

While reading this topic, it kept reminding me of the lowest-class people on the train in the movie “Snowpiercer,” and of the cockroach protein bars that they used as food.