Assorted Insects

Insects of all types are gathered by different methods, be it as simple as breaking open the nests of ants and termites, farming swarms of locusts, or hunting the canyon arthropods. Their means of preparation are equally varied, with small just going straight onto the fire and others needing to be butchered delicately to avoid poisonous glands that could taint the flesh.
  An assortment of insects can even be ground into a flour suitable for baking, after the carcasses had been properly washed and dried. Some see it as a waste of precious water, but the repayment in food can outweigh the loss, and the water can be used again to water the crops.

After the great empire fell, taking their complex magic systems with them, the people of the Midnight Expanse had trouble learning to survive in a world where the night was filled with demonic monsters. Days were hard, arid, and hot; few creatures were to be found and what could be hunted was not enough to feed everyone. The young and elderly were often left hungry, as the hunters had to feed themselves in order to hunt again before nightfall.
  Those left without a large meal began picking up small insects to eat instead, feeling those may be safer than testing what plants they could find or hope to stumble across a nest of eggs without a dangerous guardian. Insects, however, were many and they could be found with only a small amount of effort, particularly small ones that lived in colonies of millions. This steady supply allowed the people to survive while they made sense of their new circumstance and home; and though the methods have changed, they still make up a percentage of everyone’s diet to this day.

Insects are common in the savannah, the canyons, and desert, making them ideal sources of protein even when there is little else. While it takes hundreds of smaller insects to make a meal for a single man, a single one of the massive insects in the canyon can feed a small family.