The yuck factor

The mealworms are also nutritious, containing the same amount of protein as beef, more vitamin B12 than eggs and more fiber than broccoli, according to Unger and Kaisinger's firm, Livin Farms.

Alexandra Palla, a well-known Austrian food blogger present at the recent tasting event, plans to post a recipe of risotto with mealworm, calling the taste "nutty, or mushroomy", but "not spectacular".

But she said that it will take some time for people in Europe to get over the "yuck" factor and really embrace creepy-crawlies as food.

"The first step is mentally to get over the fact that you are eating an insect. Once you eat them you realize they're not so bad," she says. "It's about getting rid of the fear."

"I think in the future everyone will eat insects, or at least almost everybody," predicts Kaisinger, the co-founder of Livin Farms, which already has 200 pre-orders for its $499 hives.

"People actually consume around half a kilo of insects every year without knowing it, from tiny traces in chocolate to orange juice and the like."