Bug-Eating for Beginners
Yes, really.
Today’s post is by Daniella Martin, who writes at Girl Meets Bug. I was lucky enough to have Daniella as a house guest two years ago, when I discovered that she is passionate about helping people to understand entomophagy and its benefits. Bonus: She never complained about the fact that six people were sharing a bathroom, and she helped me make a few dozen meatballs for a family dinner. (Naturally I’m now wondering if she snuck any other ingredients into them.) I love her Top Ten Reasons to Eat Insects. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter as well. ~Tara
Science news has been ‘abuzz’ following a study published in a recent issue of PlosONe, which found that edible insects contribute far less greenhouse gases per kilogram of meat than cattle and pigs. According to the study, since insects produce more usable protein faster and with fewer emissions , they could be an ecological alternative to other forms of livestock. Basically, as science poet Elissa Malcohn puts it, “we get more bang for the bug.”
But how can the average American take advantage of this information, and begin to incorporate these “Priuses of protein” into their own diet?
In light of the fact that trying new things can be intimidating (especially if that ‘new thing’ is eating insects!), I’ve put together this handy, simple guide to bug-eating for beginners.
Step 1: Order bugs online.
The easiest (and tastiest) way to start eating insects is to order them live from an insect farm. The most readily available edible insects on the market are crickets, mealworms, and waxworms, which are raised in general for animal consumption. There are many farms across the US which have good practices and from which insects can be ordered online. FlukerFarms.com is a great source for tasty crickets; San Diego Waxworms (sdwaxworms.com) feeds their stock on bran and honey; and RainbowMealworms.net raises their larvae on cactus.
It is also possible to order pre-made, dried bug snacks, such as from Thaibugs.com and the Hotlix company. In fact, Hotlix is one of the only purveyors of ‘food-grade’ edible insects in the US, and will sell you excellent-quality, ready-to-use dried crickets and scorpions (what makes them ‘food-grade’ is the fact that they are, er, dead before shipping). However, keep in mind that eating dried, prepared bugs is akin to eating beef jerky — there’s no real comparison to filet mignon.
Step 2: Freeze bugs.
Once your live bugs have arrived, the first thing to do is to toss them in the freezer. Depending on the bug, they will need 2 -10 hours in there before they are ready to use — you don’t want them jumping all over the place while you’re trying to cook them! Next, take them out of the freezer and rinse them; ideally, using a mesh net strainer, because some of those suckers are small. This will remove any dirt or substrate (the stuff they live on, like wood shavings), etc.
Step 3: Cook bugs like you would any other kind of meat.
There are many great recipes out there for preparing these insects, most of which include the exact same things you’d do with other types of meat (or nuts, or mushrooms): sauteeing, baking, breading and frying, and so on. I personally love the taste of crickets sauteed with garlic, which is sort of like nutty shrimp and goes with most things, and waxworms sauteed with onions could easily take the place of mushrooms, since they taste a lot like nutty chanterelles to me. You will hear this term, ‘nutty,’ used a lot in reference to bug flavors; it may be because of their diets.
Seriously, just treat them as you would any other form of meat, nuts, and so on. Sautee them with vegetables and serve them over rice. Douse them in egg, toss them in flour, and fry them briefly in oil. Layer them in lasagna; stir them into risotto, blend them into pesto. Roll them in sushi; fold them in omelets; mix them into muffins. Speaking of muffins:
Squeamish about tiny legs getting stuck in your teeth? No problem. Make Bug Flour.
If you are feeling a bit squeamish about putting bug bodies in your mouth, there is a great alternative. You can dry-roast most insects in your oven simply by spreading them out on a baking sheet and baking them at about 250 degrees for 5-15 minutes. Once they are crispy and golden, you can pop them in the blender and grind them into a highly-nutritious, nutty-tasting ‘bug flour.’ This flour can be added to baked goods, sprinkled on salads and soups, or put into smoothies. If you are using crickets, this will add a great deal of protein, calcium and iron (more than a comparable amount of beef).
Step 4: Raise bugs at home. It’s easy!
Once you’ve tried ordering edible insects and realized, as I did, that they really are as good as a lot of other food, you’re ready for step two: raising insects at home. This is truly the most environmentally- and economically-sustainable way to incorporate insects into your diet, and it’s easier than having a vegetable garden.
In fact, to feed two people one or two bug meals a week, all you’ll need is a space less than 2 feet square, the size of a medium plastic bin or terrarium. Crickets, mealworms, and waxworms breed like crazy, have short maturing times, and require very little in terms of food and water. This is factored in to their increased protein productivity over their mammal cohorts — basically, because of their biology, they have way more babies and grow much faster on far less food and water. Crickets can easily be fed things that would otherwise end up in your compost, such as potato skins, vegetable cuttings, etc., and the addition of one moistened paper towel per week should yield you quite a harvest: many hundred head of cricket, if you will.
There are many reasons to eat insects: they are tasty, nutritious, abundant, and the most environmentally sustainable source of animal protein on the planet. It’s possible that if there were a market for the edible insects that feed on crops, less insecticides could be used. Edible insects are being considered by the FAO as a possible solution to world hunger, and are eaten by 80% of the world’s cultures. Also, let’s not forget that the FAA already allows high levels of insect parts in all forms of processed food. Peanut-beetle, anyone?
Americans have already been found to consume more than our fair share of global resources, much like the livestock on which we’ve based our diets. Let’s get the bugs out of our food system — by eating them!
By Daniella Martin
From Tara: Because it is too excellent not to be included, I’m adding a new video about Daniella. Watch this:
Lots of people haven’t been exposed to this idea. What do you think? Is it worth it to get over the cultural squeamishness, given potential benefits? I’m still working that out for myself, but I love that the information is becoming more available.
I admit, mealworm tacos probably won’t be happening here, at least not anytime soon. I would consider trying the flour, though. Who wants to come over for dinner?
Ummm…yuck. I just posted about how bugs make me bitchy, but I still wouldn’t consider taking out my revenge through intentional consumption. Even the word “mealworm” skeeves me out.
Daniella if you ever visit New Zealand let me know and I will take you to a giant worm farm to eat worm fritters and worm muffins. The worm farm was started to dispose of the waste from a commercial tomato greenhouse and luckily for the worms there is also an adjacent dairy farm so they get some variation in their diet (for the sake of your readers I won’t spell out what this variation is). But welcome any time!
I personally do not care for bugs- but my husband is fond of them and loved to eat fried bugs in front of me– he would purposely leave the legs sticking out ..as he chomped on them. In Ghana, they would fry the bugs which flew around the light bulbs at certain seasons of the year- and they tasted like pop corn (yes those I tried because someone told me they tasted like pop corn…it was true).
hmmmm…not sure I want to ‘get used’ to sampling bugs!
Dear Ming,
Fascinating! I would love to learn more about this farm. Do you have a link?
And of course, I would *LOVE* to visit — thanks for the invite!
Daniella
girlmeetsbug@gmail.com
Very interesting. What is the protein ratio? I mean how many meal worms does it take to equal,lets say,a chicken breast? What are the costs? Are insects considered animals? If so,does PETA know?
Can they be ground and mixed with meat as an extender? Like a modern hamburger helper.
In my line of work I have ingested many insects over the years. Either through chopping through brush or as a lunchtime prank.(the occasional cricket slipped between the bologna and cheese.)It didn’t kill me. I think I could do this. As long as they aren’t slippery.Can’t do slippery.
Great post! I will look further into this.
I don’t have a link sorry, they are notoriously publicity shy. But I’m back up there in July so will see if they have any more details available. And recipes of course!
Dear “Dad,”
Well, the protein ratio varies by species. Crickets, for instance, have about half the protein of beef, but also less fat. They also have 3 times the iron, and several times the calcium of beef.
And yes, they can absolutely be ground and used as a food extender. They taste kind of nutty, and are actually really good in smoothies…
All I know about Tara’s dad I have learnt from his comments on this blog. But I suspect he doesn’t drink smoothies.
I’ve never eaten a bug (I admit I’m a bit squeamish about it), but I lived in Kenya where winged-ants (I think like our termites) are eaten routinely as part of the diet. As they are captured, the harvesters often would pop live ants in their mouths. Viewed as a delicacy, of course, and much coveted during ant season for their deliciousness and high protein! I honestly think it’s something that you don’t think twice about if you grow up doing it, and if you didn’t then one could (even I could) learn to use them with great advice like in this post!
I eat bugs – but mostly at work at a zoo. No, it’s not initiation, it’s by choice. I’ve eaten ants, crickets, mealworms, and dragonflies all cooked in different ways. I’ve also eaten live grubs (that was more on a dare to prove a point).
In New Orleans we have Audubon Insectarium, where one exhibit is a live bug cooking show with samples at the end. Yummy!
Ming,
Your suspicion is correct.
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Never take your freedom for granated.
Never forget those who have defended it.
Sorry,
Granted. Hey,I’m old!
And the non-sequitur of the day award goes to …
Edited to add BWAHAHA. It’s good to be the queen.
Julia, I’ll bet you’re right: so much of it is about conditioning.
Veronica, you should check out Daniella’s site. It sounds like you two might have some things in common.
Sorry,here in the sticks we say non-sequitUr? Shall I expect my award in the mail?
Love ya!
Touche.
Of course, now I will edit and people will wonder what the hell you’re talking about.
So,pretty much,things will stay the same.
You follow?
Give the boys a hug from G-pa!
I once spontaneously ate a bug to shock someone who was droning on about how we should kill our own food. She was getting a little soap-boxy – so I said “THERE! Happy?” Thinking back on it, it proves you just have to be in the right state of mind and then eating bugs is easy, if not enjoyable…
Perhaps I should have tried fresh-ish bugs because I have to tell you, canned bugs smell like hot dog water.
Thanks for the guest post! I never would have thought of raising my own bugs to eat. We have a lot of bugs that grown naturally in our basement, but I do not think we will be eating them because a) they are not organic, what with himself setting off a bug bomb every couple of months and b) they are big enough to put some hurt on us if they catch us eating their brothers and sisters. I am less afraid of cows than I am some of these mutant crickets of doom.