Crickets, Grubs Called High Source Of Protein
CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Crickets, caterpillars and grubs are high in protein and minerals and could be an important food source during droughts and other emergencies, according to scientists.
“I definitely think they can assist,” said German biologist V.B. Meyer-Rochow, who regularly eats insects and wore a T-shirt with a Harlequin longhorn beetle to a U.N.-sponsored conference this month on promoting bugs as a food source.
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A Japanese scientist proposed bug farms on spacecraft to feed astronauts, noting that it would be more practical than raising cows or pigs. Australian, Dutch and American researchers said more restaurants are serving the critters in their countries.The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 1,400 species of insects and worms are eaten in almost 90 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Researchers at the conference detailed how crickets and silk worms are eaten in Thailand, grubs and grasshoppers in Africa and ants in South America.
I think people in the US are too squeamish by nature to eat bugs and worms. I know I am. eeeuuuuwwww.
The problem is it’s too much work to shell them and put the meat on micro-skewers. I hate eating crab for that reason.
Cooked cow is much better. They just need to keep them from farting to save the planet.
Don’t think of it as “eating bugs.”
Think of it more as “consuming a fast-renewable source of crunchy, crawly, creeping protein.” Probably won’t taste much like chicken, though.
Bon Bug Appetit!
On a side note, if one day you find yourself seriously starving, ANYTHING that moves is fair gourmet game…ask the French.
It’s hard not to gak at the idea of eating insects if brought up in western culture. I’m certainly not going to eat them ’til I’m starving to death.
However, the intellectual part of my brain says we did evolve from insectivorous primates. Chimps and humans both eat bugs, albeit not the particular instance of human typing this.
So, what’s the problem? They are a good protein source and they probably breed very quickly. It makes perfect sense to (yecch!) eat bugs (ick).
I don’t think food shortages in the US have reached this point yet…
#1 – Dallas,
You could more easily replace cooked cow with cooked bison. Native to North America, they require a lot less chemical care. And, they taste like an excellent steak, a bit better than beef, and have lower cholesterol than chicken plus lots of omega-3s!! They’re a win all-around … except for the bison, of course.
#5 Thanks I’ve been meaning to try Bison. I’m just such a pro-wildlife weenie and see Bison as something to conserve. Don’t ask why ’cause I don’t know 🙂
I will go to Whole Foods this week and try a Bison burger but may mix my first attempt with cow.
Was Andrew Zimmern the UN rep?
I’ve never felt much kinship to the anti-UN crowd.
But if the UN wants to endorse the eating of bugs, I’ll have to reconsider my position.
Maybe if the bugs can be squashed into some sort of paté…. or something like roachburgers… It has to look familiar, I think…
And are we also missing another obvious source of protein? Dead people?
I wonder how long before it is part of the Federally Funded Lunch at Schools program? Seems like this could solve two problems at once–cockroach infested crumbling schools, and food!
The space food is a good idea too. There are bung beetles that eat elephant shit, should be able to recycle X % of astraunaut shit too?
Reminding people of their options is always a good thing.
everyone in america knows not to ask what goes into a hot dog and yet the hot dog is the icon of american food
so, um, explain to me again how eating bugs is gross
#6 – Dallas,
I have a hard time imagining anyone more pro-wildlife than me. However, consider this. When people ranch and eat bison, there’ll be more of them. Check out how far and wide cattle have spread because we kill them. This would not be a replacement for having them wild in the place of their natural habitat. But, if ranching cattle is OK with your conscience, why not bison? And, bison ranchers are less likely to be afraid of prairie dogs and other native wildlife that evolved in concert with the bison, at least as long as we’re restricting the conversation to North America. I wouldn’t suggest shipping bison to areas where they would be an introduced species.
#11 – so, um, explain to me again how eating bugs is gross
It just is.
And I don’t eat any goddam hot dogs either!
So you think you don’t eat bugs and yucky stuff!
Ever had a look at cheese under a microscope?
Or how about beer – that’s made of yeast pee!
BTW – I’m talking about ‘real’ cheese and real beer here 🙂
#14 – There is always some asshat ( 🙂 I say playfully) who wants to ruin it all for everyone… Fortunately, I don’t drink beer and the stuff in cheese is too small to see.
There is a difference between the microorganisms I am blissfully ignorant of and a heaping scoop of grasshoppers smothered with Alfredo and cheese.
I do like that pate’ idea although pate’ is pretty gross. The idea of scooping a bug mix with a cracker and chasing with a beer is good.
A better idea, IMHO, is an avocado/bug guacamole with hot sauce. Also, the color and bug chunks blend well with avocado. An omelet is also a good idea.
That’s what I like about this forum. There are some clever people here solving some real social issues and producing some good recipes to boot.
The report is from Chiang Mai. A place where you can buy insects at local markets next to semi-fresh whole slaughtered pigs. The real problem is people are now frying such food’s in vegetable and corn oils.