Insects are an important food source in many parts of the world, and are also gaining popularity and acceptance in countries that have not traditionally eaten them. Why eat insects? Insects are nutritious and numerous. They contain large number protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. How insects are eaten and their nutritional value depends on their diet, species, stage of development, and how they are prepared. Thus, an insect that tastes similar to chicken in one case may taste like fish or fruit in other circumstances. If you've eaten insects before and didn't like it, consider giving them another try. If you've never eaten insects, here's a good list of where to start your food experiments.
Grasshoppers and crickets
There are about 2,000 species of edible insects, but grasshoppers and crickets are among the most popular for human consumption. They can be eaten fried, boiled or stewed. In some countries, these insects are farmed to be ground into edible protein powder. Grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts belong to the order Orthoptera ( Orthoptera).
Caterpillars
Almost all types of crickets and grasshoppers are edible, but the same cannot be said for caterpillars. Caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies. Like their adult forms, some caterpillars are toxic. Larvae of the South African peacock eye species Gonimbrasia belina is one of the edible species of caterpillars. They have a particularly high iron content of 31-77 mg per 100 g (compared to 6 mg per 100 g for beef). These caterpillars are an important food source in Africa, and are becoming increasingly popular elsewhere.
Other edible caterpillar species include Aegiale hesperiaris(commonly found in Agavero liqueur), as well as bamboo worm ( Omphisa fuscidentalis) and silk worm ( Bombyx mori).
Palm weevil larvae
Palm weevil larva ( Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is tasty insects, especially when fried in its own fat. These larvae are very popular in Central America, Malaysia and Indonesia. Cooked grubs are said to be similar to sweetened bacon, while raw grubs are prized for their creamy texture. Palm weevils are tropical insects native to Southeast Asia. Although they are abundant on palm trees, indoor cultivation of the larvae is practiced in Thailand.
Mealworm
IN Western countries Mealworms have long been fed to birds and other pets, and they have also gained acceptance as a source of human food. Mealworms are easily bred in temperate climate, unlike many edible insects that prefer the tropics. When reared as a food source, the larvae feed on oats, grains or wheat bran with apple, potato or carrot for moisture. Their nutritional value similar to beef. For human consumption, mealworms are fried, boiled, or ground into powder. They taste more like shrimp than beef, which makes sense since mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor). Like shrimp, beetles belong to the. Many other beetle larvae from the order Coleoptera ( Coleoptera) are also edible.
Ants
Several species of ants are a highly prized delicacy. They say that lemon ants ( Myrmelachista schumanni) from the Amazon jungle has a characteristic lemon aroma. Leafcutter ants are usually fried and are said to taste similar to bacon or pistachio nuts. Honey ants are eaten raw and taste sweet. In Western society, the most edible ants are considered to be from the genus Camponotus ( Camponotus).
Adult ants, their larvae and eggs can serve as a source of food for humans. Ant eggs are considered a special form of insect caviar and have a high price. Insects are eaten raw (even alive), fried, boiled, crushed and as an additive to drinks.
Wasps and bees are also edible for humans, and are in the same order as ants.
Other edible insects
Other edible insects include dragonflies, cicadas, bee larvae, cockroaches, butterfly pupae and maggots. Earthworms are also a popular food item, but they are not insects, but rather annelids, a type of animal. Edible worms contain large amounts of iron and protein.
Although scorpions and spiders are not insects, people usually do not separate them. Like insects, these are arthropods and are related to insects such as crabs and shrimp. Spiders and scorpions are the terrestrial equivalent of seafood. Lice are also edible (though eating them in front of other people may seem a little weird).
Other arthropods that often become people's dinner include woodlice, water beetles (said to taste like fruit), bedbugs, June beetles and even dung beetles!
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Feeding humanity is becoming increasingly difficult. We may soon have no choice but to start eating insects. A couple of years ago, experts already presented a report to the UN in support of this initiative. A massive transition to a new diet will improve not only the environment, but also human health, because insects are an excellent source of healthy proteins. Look At Me invites you to get acquainted with those bugs and worms that may soon end up on our plates.
Grasshopper baked goods
In 2013, a group of students from McGill University (Montreal) won the prestigious Hult Prize and $1 million for developing grasshopper flour to help fight hunger. Competitors were required to establish “a social enterprise capable of providing food to undernourished communities, particularly the 200 million people living in urban slums.” As a result, the students came up with nothing better than to breed grasshoppers in poor areas of Mexico, Thailand and Kenya, which will later be turned into flour for baking and other products. According to the proposed technology, insects must first be dried and then frozen in sealed bags, then washed, dried again and ground into powder. As a result, the new power source will not only be available all year round, but it will also be inexpensive. A $1 million capital pledge will help them launch this program.
Peacock eye larvae
Dried caterpillars of the moth Gonimbrasia belina have always been an important source of protein for South Africans. Collecting these caterpillars is a common economic activity of Africans. and in the future, probably ours too. Today, dried, smoked or pickled caterpillars are sold in supermarkets and markets, and cost four times more than traditional meat. To prepare caterpillars for consumption, they are first cleaned of their entrails, either by simply squeezing them in your hands or by cutting them lengthwise. After this, they are eaten raw or boiled in salted water and dried in the sun. They do not have a particularly strong taste and, according to those who have tried them, they are similar to dried tofu or tea leaves. Therefore, they are often served with fried onions or used in the preparation of soups, sauces and porridges.
Silkworm larvae
What Australians call witchetti larvae are known among entomologists as gypsy moth larvae. They have always been a traditional food for local Aborigines, who roast them in coals or over open fires. When cooked, the maggots taste like scrambled egg-flavored nuts with soft mozzarella cheese wrapped in puff pastry. But the gourmets most accustomed to eating larvae eat them alive.
In Asia, silkworm larvae are also popular, but of a different type - mulberry. The caterpillars, which feed exclusively on mulberry leaves, are considered a delicacy in Vietnam and China, they are endowed with mass beneficial properties. Insects play a prominent role in Korean cuisine and are used in the popular dish pondegi, which consists of larvae steamed or boiled in oil and spices. In Japan, silkworm larvae are served as tsukudani, that is, they are boiled with seaweed in a marinade of soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. In the Indian state of Assam, boiled pupusas are eaten with salt or fried with chillies and herbs and eaten as a snack.
Silkworms have even been suggested as a possible alternative to the traditional diet of astronauts. Chinese researchers said that insects can be a real salvation during long periods of time. space travel, designed for several years. Miniature ecosystems in which the larvae will grow and develop can become a virtually inexhaustible source of animal protein.
Ants
Ants are distributed throughout the planet - from the Arctic to the tropics. They are dried in the sun, smoked, steamed. For example, in poor rural areas of Thailand, spicy rice is often prepared with carpenter ants fried in oil. Ants are very popular in Colombia, where local farmers sell them on trays live and cooked for about $6 per 1 kg. Red vegetables are widely eaten in Cambodia and Laos. forest ants, which are sold at local markets even cheaper - about $1 per 1 kg.
Indians living in the Amazon basin prefer to eat winged females. They are caught in baskets as they fly out of their nests in huge swarms, and their fried bellies are said to taste like fried bacon. Australian Aborigines eat honey-collecting ants, which live underground at a depth of 2 m, but have a sweet taste. In Mexico, escamoles ant pupae are considered a delicacy and can be found on the menus of city restaurants. They are usually served fried without any additions or boiled with garlic and onions.
Termites
Termites (they are not related to ants, although they are similar to them) widespread in African countries, especially in those adjacent to the Sahara Desert. All members of the colony are eaten, including eggs and females, the largest of which can reach the size of a potato tuber. A kind of butter is also prepared from termites. To do this, they are boiled and the floating fat is collected from the surface, after which it is used to prepare other dishes.
Palm weevil
Red palm weevil larvae have long been part of traditional cuisine Southeast Asia, where they are deep-fried for a few minutes and served with salt and a little white pepper. These larvae are also consumed raw, as they have a creamy taste; when boiled, they have a meaty taste, similar to bacon. They are often cooked in palm flour. In New Guinea special holidays they are roasted on a spit.
The palm weevil is a fairly large insect, with some individuals reaching up to 8 cm in length. These insects are malicious pests that gnaw holes in palm tree trunks and kill plants.
"Stinkbugs"
Tree shield insects (or in common parlance stink bugs) In many countries in South Africa they are eaten as a snack, but before that they are soaked in warm water to get rid of the overly pungent aroma. In South America (where they eat the local species of stink bugs) on the contrary, they are valued for their flavor, so they are added to food as a seasoning: they are made into sauces, fried and added to tacos and pates. Shield bugs are also prized for their distinctive scent in Vietnam, where they are used in spicy stir-fries, and in Laos, where these insects are ground with spices and herbs into a paste called chio.
Mealworms
Khrushchak larvae (or flour beetle) are one of the few insects consumed in the Western world, for example in the Netherlands. The nutritional value of mealworms is difficult to overestimate; in addition, they contain a lot of copper, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc and selenium. Dutch scientist Arnold van Huis, one of the main popularizers of the mealworm diet, together with a local school of cooks, even published an entire cookbook with recipes for dishes from these insects: in it you can find rolls, baskets and other dishes made from larvae.
Now everyone can grow the food of the future. The project, developed by Tiny Farms, allows you to create a personal farm with everything you need to start growing edible beetle larvae at home. The set consists of two main containers, a mounting frame, a selection kit and an incubator. The company offers to either purchase a ready-to-use farm, or make it yourself according to the drawings, which are publicly available.
Once in China we were invited to dinner. The table was filled with different dishes, I counted about 20 of them. Among other purely Chinese dishes, there was a dish of fried snake with various spices, small fried shrimp (1.5-2 cm in size) and grasshoppers.
According to etiquette, as my husband whispered to me, I had to try every dish. I even shuddered from this message, I watched in horror how it was spinning round table and a dish with unpeeled shrimp “floats” to me. I grabbed one of them with chopsticks.
The crustacean had not changed at all and looked quite natural, everything was in place: legs, tail (fan), mustache - antennae and bulging eyes. I carefully began to pinch off my mustache, but when I looked up I saw that the owners were looking at me expectantly. Overcoming the unpleasant feeling towards this crustacean, I had to put it in my mouth, along with its legs and mustache... and after swallowing it, I also smiled.
The Chinese sat and cracked the crustaceans like seeds, but there was just a crunch. During the next round of table rotation, a dish with grasshoppers stopped in front of me. I don’t even want to describe the sensations that I experienced, but I still had to eat one representative of insects... Today we are talking about edible insects:
- Entomogafia - food made from insects.
- How do people benefit from eating edible insects?
- Edible insects.
- Dishes made from edible insects.
- Insect dessert.
Entomography - insect food
The practice of including edible insects in the diet and eating insects is common in many parts of the world and the reason is their valuable nutritional value. Scientists believe that on our planet already 2 billion people eat insects.
In first place in nutritional value are beetles, then caterpillars, ants, wasps, bees, locusts and grasshoppers, crickets and tarantulas. 1900 species of insects are considered edible.
The inclusion of insects in the diet and eating insects is called entomophagy. It is especially practiced in Africa, China, New Zealand and Australia, in the undeveloped countries of America. Insects are eaten at 29 Asian countries, 36 African and 23 American. Somewhere they are considered a delicacy, and somewhere, edible insects are the main diet.
In most developed countries, people view eating insects with disgust and consider it a primitive culture. Meanwhile, according to scientists, insects contain a large amount of protein, calcium, iron, low fat content and they are as nutritious and healthy as regular meat, but can be effective method combating obesity and diseases associated with it.
The question is increasingly being raised: instead of switching to genetically modified food, which does more harm than good, maybe switch to entomogafy???
It is not because of a good life that Africans eat insects; in their countries, people have been suffering from malnutrition for a long time; experts note that 50% of child mortality under the age of 5 in these countries occurs only for this reason.
And insects are a cheap source of food, rich in healthy proteins and fats. According to environmentalists, raising insects causes much less damage to nature compared to raising cattle. Nutritional composition, availability, simple methods Insect farming may be an alternative food product and help address future food shortages.
After all, the population will increase to 9 billion people by 2050. This means that 50% more food will be needed, and according to forecasts, as a result of climate change, crop yields are expected to decrease by 25%.
Where to look alternative methods satisfy human needs for food?
Why don't we like insect food?
It all depends on the culture of upbringing. We were raised this way by our parents and the media. From early childhood we hear what is edible and what cannot be eaten. If from childhood we knew that there are edible insects and we were treated to delicacies from fried grasshoppers, we would believe that there is nothing better than this food in the world and eating insects would be considered commonplace.
Insects in food. But nevertheless, insects still find their way into our stomach. It is believed that a person eats up to 0.5 kg of insects throughout his life.
According to Candidate of Biological Sciences Igor Bernikov, along with bread we eat mealworms, with jams and preserves, tomato paste, worms and their larvae also enter our stomach.
Cooks are familiar with the dye “konishel” (E-120), but meanwhile, it is prepared from the females of the insect of the same name - the conichel mealybug.
I heard that some beekeepers feast on bee larvae, which have a delicate creamy taste.
What benefits do people get from eating insects?
I want to give you figures showing the protein and fat content of various edible insects.
“So 100 grams of dung beetles contain 17.2 g of protein and 3.8 g of fat, caterpillars - 14.2 g and 1.2 g, grasshoppers - 20.6 g and 6.1 g, bees - 13, 4 g and 1.4 g, termites - 14.2 g and 2.2 g, respectively. For comparison, I’ll give an example of the content of these substances in 100 g of beef: 23.5 g of protein and 21.2 g of fat.”
In addition, insects contain chitin, which brings irreplaceable benefits in cleansing the body. From chitin, as is known, the substance chitosan is produced, which is included in all weight loss preparations.
In 2010, at the Research Congress outer space Japanese scientists have presented an updated diet for astronauts, which includes insects.
In some countries, such as Thailand, edible insects are bred on an industrial scale. It is believed that this is less labor-intensive and costly production. Insects eat very little; compared to pigs, large premises are not required to keep them. Scientists suggest that in the future the main food producers in this country will be farms producing edible insects.
I bring to your attention an introduction to the most popular edible insects and dishes made from them, which are considered delicacies.
Edible insects
Beetles. Of this order of insects, the following are considered edible: dung beetles, stag beetles, and rhinoceros beetles. These insects serve as a delicacy for the natives of Africa and some areas in the Amazon and other tropical regions. Horn beetles and rhinoceroses live on trees, undermining their bark. They easily process cellulose fibers, turning them into fats. Indigenous people roast them and consume them as popcorn.
Longhorned beetle larvae are eaten raw and taste similar to peanut butter.
Moths and butterflies. The insects themselves are very beautiful, but it is not the butterflies themselves that are used as food, but their larvae - pupae, rich in protein and iron.
Butterfly pupae are considered a delicacy; they are recommended for weakened children and pregnant women suffering from anemia. In America and its Central Southern regions, butterfly caterpillars are also valued, especially the fat and fleshy caterpillars of the butterfly that lives on agave trees. These caterpillars are added to an alcoholic agave drink beloved by Mexicans.
Bees and wasps. The larvae of these hymenopteran insects and their eggs are loved by the indigenous people of Australia, Africa, and Asia. America and consume them like nuts.
Ants. Red ants are eaten mainly by large sizes, but other representatives of this order are also often used. In 100 g of red ants there are about 1 thousand individuals, which contain 14 g of protein (this is much more compared to chicken eggs), 48 mg calcium, iron and other minerals.
Locusts, grasshoppers, crickets. Orthoptera have a neutral taste and protein content, therefore they are very popular in the cuisine of many countries. They can be combined with other foods. Using locusts for food allows you to control their numbers; everyone knows the harm these insects cause to agriculture.
Flies and mosquitoes have less culinary popularity. Of their large order of dipterans, only a few representatives are used for food. For example, flies that feed on cheeses acquire their taste, and species of mosquitoes and flies living near water taste like fish.
Rowers. These insects are inextricably linked with water, as they lay their eggs on plants growing in water. The natives collect insect eggs to make Mexican caviar, and they are also eaten raw. The taste of eggs is similar to that of shrimp.
Shield insects - These are representatives of the bedbug family. They are an excellent source of iodine and if you don’t pay attention to them unpleasant smell, secreted by special glands, then from them you can get apple cider vinegar. They also have pain relieving properties. Green tree bugs that feed on the sap of leaves are used as food.
Insect dishes
Cheese with worms. It is called kazu-marzu, made from goat milk and cheese fly larvae. This product can only be found in Sardinia; in Italy it was banned because it is believed that it can cause poisoning. Worms from rotten cheese are eaten alive.
Boiled bee larvae. The dish in Japan is called hatinoko. The larvae are cooked in sweet soy sauce, which are combined with rice. The dish was especially popular in the difficult post-war times, and now continues to be in demand.
In Japanese stores you can find another delicacy made from bees - canned bees.
Grilled dragonflies. This dish is popular in Indonesia. Dragonflies are caught using sticks coated with sticky juice, the wings are removed and they are fried or boiled in seasoned coconut milk.
Salad with fried red ants. Fried red ants are added to salads instead of lemon juice and lemon because they are sour (formic acid). They are eaten with pleasure in Thailand.
Fried tarantulas preferred in Cambodia. They are fried in frying pans and eaten with pleasure; their meat resembles the taste of fish and chicken. They also eat fried spiders, which taste similar to peanuts.
They love fried shield bugs in Mexico. They taste like cinnamon. They are ground and mixed with chili sauce or used as a filling.
Edible insects, rich in protein, chitin, calcium and minerals, are an integral part of the diet in many cultures.
Today already at European countries restaurants are opening, serving delicacies from:
- Orthoptera,
- Hymenoptera,
- Orthoptera,
- Lepidoptera,
- bedbugs,
- cockroaches,
- termites.
So far this is only a modern, fashionable hobby, but it is already in demand.
Sample menu of similar establishments:
Insect dessert
You won't believe it, but it's really true. The man is so enterprising that he has learned to make dessert from insects. Speaking of desserts... the Bible says that John the Baptist loved to eat “locusts with wild honey.” Our contemporaries have gone further, they offer insect dessert:
In many countries, such desserts are in great demand. Experts say that they are not only tasty, but also good for health, as they add energy and strengthen the immune system. And the desserts look exotic.
Restaurant visitors, when trying insects for the first time, more often choose dishes where they are used as a filling, for example, a cricket in chocolate glaze is easier to eat than a fried cockroach.
A few years ago in the center of London, right on the street, there was a restaurant that offered visitors free access to unusual insect delicacies. In such an unusual way, one of the companies celebrated its 85th anniversary. The flow of people wanting to taste exotic dishes was endless.
At this event, issues of possible global hunger and the usefulness of insects as a food alternative for humans were discussed.
Anticipating the reaction of readers, I would like to note that the article is offered not for the purpose of promoting eating insects, but as educational material.
- But read what is really useful for us.
Health to you, dear readers!
☀ ☀ ☀
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Anyone who knows a lot about beetles understands perfectly well that the insects offered in this review are not terrible pests at all, but a real amazing lunch! Many times people have had to eat all kinds of insects simply out of despair, but this time we will talk about delicacies.
1. Kasu marzu (cheese with live larvae)
Casu marzu is a sheep's milk cheese popular on the Italian island of Sardinia. Its name means “rotten cheese”, or as it is more often called “cheese with larvae” - insect larvae actually live in it. To make it, you need to take pecorino cheese (pecorino sardo), but leave it to ferment longer than usual until it begins to rot. Cheese fly larvae are added to the cheese, and the acid from their digestive systems speeds up the breakdown of the cheese's fats, resulting in a soft, liquid-filled product. By the time it is ready to eat, there are already thousands of larvae living in the casu marzu. The local population believes that it is unsafe to eat the cheese after the larvae have died, so it is served while the white 8-millimeter worms are still twitching. Some people clean the cheese of the larvae before eating a piece, while others eat directly with them, but they have to cover their mouths with their hands - when the larvae are disturbed, they can jump up to 15 centimeters in height.
The unique Cambodian delicacy was mainly popular during the plague epidemic, but now it is quite common traditional dish. Tarantula, an arachnid, is eaten hot - simply remove the poisonous fang and enjoy.
In the northern regions of Thailand, pregnant crickets (with eggs) are a real delicacy. The insects are collected, quickly frozen, cleaned, cooked and lightly salted. A serving of the bugs, ready to eat, can be purchased for $6.
In Africa and parts of Indonesia, termites are eaten throughout their lives. They begin to collect them at the beginning of the rainy season, when other sources of protein are not available. They are fried before use.
Harmless California scorpions are found in gourmet candies. Scorpions and arachnids are a staple food in many parts of the world. You can decide on a feat and try, they say it’s not so disgusting! For example, in Eastern medicine, scorpions are considered a good aphrodisiac, increasing attractiveness to the opposite sex, and they taste like walnut.
Larvets offers three types of flavorful, fried worms - barbecue, cheddar cheese and Mexican spices.
In Thailand, these beetles are shelled and eaten fried. Their taste is reminiscent of scallops.
Candy from Mexico should cause positive emotions, because an edible worm (by the way, it is carefully grown on cereals and fresh herbs) is filled with tequila and a candy (without sugar) is prepared from all this. The worm is called guzano, and in fact it is not a worm at all, but a caterpillar of the Bombix agavis butterfly . It lives on agave (which, by the way, is a succulent, and not a cactus at all), from the fermented juice of which mezcal is made (tequila is its variety). The caterpillar is red - Gusano Rojo (lives in the roots or core of the agave and is considered a delicacy) and white or golden - Gusano de Oro (lives in the leaves).
Weaver ant eggs are collected for a month every year in Thailand, although collecting them is a painful task. The eggs are large and soft enough to cook thoroughly before adding them to the salad.
10. Giant ants covered in chocolate
Spicy food lovers will love this dish. The paste contains ground beetles or scorpions with Thai spices and chili peppers. It can be served as a pate on a sandwich or added to other exotic dishes.
If your stomach is too tender, and your soul asks for completely different delicacies, you will have to fork out the cash and go for lunch
> survival in the wild > edible insects
Insects for food
In conditions of extreme survival, when a person is without food for a long time and loses a lot of weight, protein food is simply necessary. But it can be very difficult to get it, especially in the absence of skills and the necessary “tools”. Lost in the taiga or mixed forest, a person is not always armed and able to hunt large and medium-sized game. Small game hunting and fishing may not bring desired results, but this fact does not negate the need for protein. Then, you have to pay attention to insects and their larvae.
Many will twirl their finger at their temple and say I won’t eat this, but most likely only a well-fed person will say this, and when you are on the verge of life and death from hunger, any crawling creature can be seen as an exquisite delicacy.
Insects have a lot of protein. This is the main thing! Yes, we are not all residents of Southeast Asia, and insects, worms, and larvae are far from a delicacy for us. However, there are times when you should put aside your disgust and eat. Survival in the taiga is just such a case.
So, what insects are edible and suitable for food, where to look for them
Ants.
Most types of scorpions are also edible and absolutely edible after heat treatment. But flies, their larvae and other insects that come into contact with animal feces cannot be eaten. Even heat treatment will not guarantee getting rid of the infection.
