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| Scientists: Eating insects is good for us and for the environment |
| 2008-06-03 |
| Err, you first. It might be a while before they appear on the shelf at Tesco. But scientists claim adding insects to our diet would be good for us and the environment. Crunching into crickets or snacking on grilled caterpillar is apparently a means to a nutrient-rich diet that also helps reduce pests and puts less strain on the planet than eating conventional meat. Some insects in their dried form are said to have twice the protein of raw meat and fish, while others are rich in unsaturated fat and contain important vitamins and minerals. Experts believe they could one day be marketed as a healthy alternative to fatty snacks. Yeah, kids. You can have that chocolate bar right after you're done with your grubs. In most of Europe, bug-eating is largely restricted to the belated realisation that there has been an unwelcome addition to the salad. It is common elsewhere, however, with some 1,700 species of bug eaten in 113 countries. In Taiwan, stir-fried crickets or sauteed caterpillars are delicacies. A plate of maguey worms - larvae of a giant butterfly - sells for £12.50 in smart Mexican restaurants. Sago grubs wrapped in banana leaves go down well in Papua New Guinea, as does dragonfly in Bali. Or crow on the Dem side of Congress. In many parts of south-east Asia market stalls sell insects by the pound and deep-fried snacks are served up as street food. Insects are arthropods, much like crab, shrimps and lobster which are all accepted by the European palate. In North Africa locusts are sometimes called sky prawns. But Patrick Durst, of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, said that if consumers were to be tempted to broaden their culinary horizons the trick might be to make the bugs look more palatable. 'You need to get the food into a form where someone doesn't have to look the bug in the eye when they eat it,' he said. Earlier this year the Food and Agriculture Organisation held a conference to discuss how entomophagy - eating insects as food - could contribute to sustainable development. Bug-farming preserves forests - which are needed to attract insects - and is encouraged in some countries. Like NorK? All they need to do now is to find a pair of bugs so they can mate them. As for pesticides, some experts have pointed out the irony of using chemicals to get rid of bugs that are more nutritious than the crops they prey on. In Thailand when pesticides failed to control locusts, the government urged locals to eat them and distributed recipes. And 17 years later they showed up again anyway. Chef Paul Cook, who supplies exotic and unusual food through his Bristol-based business Osgrow, has sold a range of insects including locusts. He said: 'You have to get past your feeling when you look at a whole locust or cricket. They are very clean and nutritious. Kosher, too! 'But I don't think we are going to see Jamie Oliver encouraging us to have sky prawns on the school menu.' |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #10 Nevermind at least for the mussels. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2008-06-03 23:31 |
| #9 If only someone would produce a recipe for zebra mussels and fire ants ... |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2008-06-03 23:29 |
| #8 we get this same crap from the media when Cicadas come up. Some idiot is frying them and says they taste like walnuts. Just add a little salt. F*ck em. They can eat bugs and they can start under my place. I'll lock em in the crawlspace and they can come out when they realize why Papillon was a prison movie |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-06-03 22:37 |
| #7 Ya know, just becuz GEORGE JETSON lives in future OWG Megacities = "Cities-in-the-Sky" influenced /based in designs by TERMITE MOUNDS and TREES/FLORA, ETC. DOESN'T MEAN GEORGE HAS TO EAT SAME - more importantly, I don't think JANE JETSON is gonna go for eating Bugs and Leaves!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-06-03 22:26 |
| #6 PETA should be all over this. After all, insects are animals too. And if we start eating insects big time, we will eat MILLIONS of them. Imagine the suffering! |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-06-03 22:09 |
| #5 Mmmmm. A big bowl of crunchy earwigs and milk. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-06-03 19:53 |
| #4 I ate honey ants and witchetty grubs whenever I could get them in central Australia, both are delicious. Come to think of it, those NYC cockroaches look like they might have a crunchy texture... |
| Posted by: Grunter 2008-06-03 19:22 |
| #3 Crawfish aren't that different from insects and they're pretty good. Maybe we can genetically engineer some big cockroaches with some muscle you can carve a tasty t-bone out of. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-06-03 19:02 |
| #2 Bugs as a snack food? I don't think so. Pass the pork rinds please! |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-06-03 18:53 |
| #1 And 17 years later they showed up again anyway. More food supply? /[I like my locust crisp] |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2008-06-03 17:53 |