The researchers from the West Pomeranian University of Technology made the traditional festive snacks using 15% insect flour.

The cookies, made in the shape of stars, Christmas trees, and snowmen, contained flour made from house crickets, which the scientists say is high in protein and unsaturated fatty acids that support the immune system.

The team from the port city of Szczecin are studying ways to use insects in food production and believe that insect flour is a “product of the future,” the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported.

The scientists limited the cricket-flour content to 15% so as not to mask the flavor of the gingerbread and put people off trying it. One of the team told PAP that cricket flour is less off-putting than a whole cricket.

One of the team explained to PAP that some parts of the world already have problems satisfying their food needs and that this phenomenon is set to spread as Earth’s population grows.

One scientist from the university told PAP that in the future, Poland's traditional Christmas carp in aspic could be replaced by insects in aspic. But for now, they are merely aiming to change perceptions and break taboos.