Hello Everyone! This is Lauren speaking. I’ve decided to go it alone this post to chatter on about something I’ve had a curiosity about since I first heard of such a bizarre thing in the food world. (Yes, the WORLD. Food is not just about countries you know.) Rest assured, Jeremy will be back next week to share everything he discovered and experienced on his trip to Finland this past week.
There are so many different diet lifestyles out there. I’m not talking about fad diets that sell their trendy shakes and bars. I mean the lifestyle choice diets; vegan, vegetarian, the laws of kosher and pescatarian being well-known. There is however one that fascinates and horrifies at the very mention of it. I’m talking about a diet some say will be accepted in the future…Are you ready? Are you sure? Here it comes…entomophagy-aka the eating of bugs.
The tradition goes back to the reign of Bodenheimer and Holt. It may not be easy to take off the legs, wings and shells, but still it cuts gas emissions by 2.84 kg according to the article on BBC news. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31589764 They are also incredibly hard to mail-order in. Bug farms are few and far between, with little marketing status because (Let’s admit it) eating bugs comes off currently as being a gag-trigger. In North America and Europe, bugs are considered pests, not treats. Then again, the Torah confirms that locusts are kosher. It’s estimated that over 2 billion people globally include bugs in their diet. Thailand, Japan, China, Vietnam, Mexico, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines have been known to sell bugs as street food complete with seasoning, on skewers, in bags and some with crispy fryer coatings. As a matter of fact, former US president Bill Clinton awarded “Aspire Food Group” 1 million dollars to begin an industry of farming edible bugs as a way to stabilize the supply as a future source of food to compensate for the ever-growing human population. They explain their mission in fuller detail here.
http://www.ediblebugfarm.com/blog/edible-insects-list/ has a list of 50 different bugs that people eat. Ants, grasshoppers, spiders and varieties of worms and bees range not only in species, but also in flavors. Some are nutty like crickets. Bees having lived on honey in the raw all of their lives are said to be super sweet. There are even lemon ants with a distinctive citrus zing; hence its name. Doesn’t it all sound like candy? Having eaten a cricket-lollipop myself last Halloween, my opinion is that the shell was really difficult to get out from between my teeth and distracted me from what was the WORST artificial grape candy I had ever tasted!
Bugs can be boiled, toasted or roasted as the eater sees fit. I think this would be a cleaner and easier way to introduce insects to North American cuisine because the shock is mostly from seeing a full-sized water-bug with all of its appendages squirming around and “looking” at the eater. When they are ground up into a fine powder, the mixture looks the same as wheat-germ or flax seed. This might also help in versatility, adding a dusting of cricket to a frozen yogurt, on popcorn, or in any place you would want a little protein boost. Finland is currently experimenting with crickets mixed in with flour and baking it into bread. This clip is taken from Helsinki.
As a matter of fact, beetles commonly called “cochineals” are used in carmine as a red food coloring usually noted as “Red Dye number 4”. The FDA requires as of April 2009 that it be declared on the packaging of anything in which it’s contained, written as “carmine” or “cochineal extract”, especially since some people have allergic reactions to the dye. Studies across the board state that cattle take up more space and water than raising bugs. They’re very full of nutrients and don’t produce more than 1% of greenhouse gases compared to typical cows.
Vegetarians and vegans disagree with the innovation. It isn’t the same as eating birds, seafood or cattle, but it is still a life, even if bugs are cold-blooded and don’t have any way to feel pain in their bodies. They are simply the land versions of crabs, shrimp, oysters and other shellfish. The answer is strongly, NO!
If you on the other hand are interested in giving some crispy crickets a nibble, check out this super friendly baking website dedicated to cricket recipes. https://www.cricketflours.com/how-to-eat-insects/
What about you? Let’s hear some opinions from the audience. Are you brave enough to take a measly bite of maggot? Have you ever eaten a bug or worm? Talk about it with us in the comments section.
