Entomophagy; Insect Eating

by Natsumi


Have you ever eaten insects as a part of meals? Maybe some of them simply hate the sight of them; but, insects are now considered as one of important food under this situation of population explosion on earth. May 13, 2013, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published the report which encourages eating insects. On this planet, there are more than 1900 kinds of edible insects; hundreds of them are already enjoyed in many countries.

              

The countries which use insects for daily foods are 36 in Africa, 29 in Asia, 11 in Europe and the total population reaches about two billion people. We usually hate insects and feel bothered, swat away, and sometimes kill them by insecticide. However, they can be nutritious supplements which include protein, mineral, fiber and fat. Plus, eating insects can reduce the number of harmful insects in safe and healthy way. In addition, from the viewpoint of breeding of insects, much smaller land is needed by compared to breeding cow, pig or chicken. Furthermore, insects can absorb food and turn it into protein more efficiently than animals, so there will be less waste of resources for feeding insects.

Moreover, if eating insects is spread around the world, the new industry is going to produce new employment; especially in the developing country which locates in tropic area, thousands of edible insects live. Their economy will rise up dramatically. There are thousands of merits to start eating insects as dietary food.

Then, which insects are suitable for eating? Today I am going to introduce you three main insects which have been enjoyed by many people already. Firstly, pupas of a moth or butterfly are really popular because of its taste. It is said that those pupas are really juicy; they are popular in Africa, especially among children and pregnant women, who tend to be luck of nutrition, because they contain bunch of protein and iron. Plus, in Central America and South America, the larva of moth which live between leaves of agavea maguey is popular for food; people put it in the spirits made in Mexico, which name is Mezcal.

Secondly, bees are the most famous insects as food. We can eat literally everything of bees; honey is truly useful as a sweetener. The larva and cocoon is tasty if you broil it with salt. The best way to cook the imago is frying. Even the nest is sometimes eaten with honey! However, it is really dangerous to try hunting them by yourself; as you, bees have stringer; they will bite you for protecting their queen if you go close to their nest. So if you want to try eating bees, you should use online shopping or call bee farm.

Lastly, beetles are notable for the taste and nutritive value. Beetles such as longicorn beetle, gold beetle, dung beetle and rhinoceros beetle are eaten in tropical area like a part of Amazon or Africa. We can find many kinds of them easily in fallen tree, inner bark or ground in a forest. Additionally, they absorb the cellulose of trees efficiently and turn it into fat which human can absorb. The amount of protein in beetles is top level by compared to other insects.

Insects are visually awkward, but they must be tasty and nutritious than you are expecting. Try it, and tell me how you would feel!