Fried silk worm pupae sold by a street vendor in Jinan, China, one with a bite taken out of it. Wikipedia: Steven G. Johnson, 2009 If you really want to follow a Paleo Diet, eat some bugs. My favorite news magazine, The Week, recently covered an interesting story titled “The Real Paleo Diet” by Daniella Martin. In it, Ms.Martin makes the claim that insects were a large part of the diet for humans before the agricultural revolution. If you are not familiar with the Paleo Diet, the premise is that for optimalhealth, you should eat like early humans did in hunter gatherer days. The Paleo Diet consists mainly of organic grass fed meats, fish, leafy greens, berries and nuts. What is NOT included in anymainstream Paleo cookbooks is BUGS.
However, the above debate seems somewhat trivial being that much of the non-Western world does in fact consume bugs. The practice never really went out of style for much of the world’spopulation. I personally have NEVER tried an insect. I passed up a few choice opportunities on several business trips: ant eggs in Mexico City, bugs on a stick in Beijing, cricketsoddly sold next to bins of bulk candy) in New York’s China Town. Now, I wish I had at least TRIED these delicacies.
Not suprisingly, there is a paucity of scientific literature on this topic in the mainstream Western academic journals. However, I did find an interesting article titled “The nutritionalvalue of fourteen species of edible insects in southwestern Nigeria” from the African Journal of Biotechnology. Many species are over 20% protein and also contain Vitamins A, B2, C,Calcium, Phosphurs, Iron and Magnesium. The article also contains an interesting quote about Western attitudes regarding insect consumption “Most people in tropical Africa collect insectsfor food……The aversion to insects as human food among Europeans is nothing more than custom and prejudice” (Banjo 2006).
Entomophagy is the consumption of insects as food. As a sensory scientist,I’m intrigued about what they TASTE like. The fried bean grub on the stick pictured in the image above is described by the photographer as follows: “exterior is a bit tough and chewysalty and greasy), while the inside is somewhat bland with a tofu-like consistency”. It is also mentioned that they swell and turn brown when fried.
Here is a table depicting the flavor of 15 edible insects:
Palm weevil larva | Coconut (raw) or bacon (cooked) |
Ant | Lemony, vinegary, or sweet-and-sour, respectively |
*Stinkbug | Like a blend of cinnamon and iodine |
Tarantula | Crab-like and nutty |
Termite | Like carrots |
Huhu grub | Like peanut butter |
Wasp larva | Sweet and crunchy |
Cicada | Asparagus or clammy potato |
Dragonfly | Similar to soft shell crab |
Ant eggs | Buttery and nutty, with the consistency of cottage cheese |
Mopane worm | Bland to buttery |
Grasshopper | Salty and spicy |
Silkworm pupa | Briny, similar to dried shrimp, with a chewy consistency |
Water bug | Briny and fruity with a fish-like consistency |
Scorpion | Like soft-shell crab or shrimp in its shell |
| | |
* Note: the "stink" is removed by soaking in warm water first |
Source: 15 Insects you won’t believe are edible by By Beth Greenfieldhttp://www.nbcnews.com/id/45048564/ns/travel-travel_tips/t/insects-you-wont-believe-are-edible/#.UyNPEPldUoE
Clearly, Entomophagy yields a diverse eating experience! So, my challenge to self and readers - - go ahead and try an insect next time you have anopportunity. Even if it’s just a ‘no thank you bite’. Those stink bugs hanging out on my bathroom mirror are starting to look good! (LOL) Tacos anyone?
REFERENCE
Banjo, A.D., Lawal, O. A.* and SONGONUGA, E. A. “The nutritional value of fourteen species of edible insects in southwestern Nigeria” African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 53), pp. 298-301, 2 February 2006.