If you’re browsing our website looking for edible insects, or even a little bug candy treat, then perhaps we don’t need to tell you all that’s good about eating nature’s littlest creations. Insects and bugs have been a delicacy across the world and very popular here in Thailand for very many years, but in Western countries there are few places you will find edible insects for sale.
But for the doubters amongst us, who aren’t sure about eating something new and different, then here’s why the world needs edible bugs and insects.
World hunger would be less imminent if we all ate bugs In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (UN) have been researching ways to introduce edible insects in to Europe via livestock feed but also to encourage the uptake of eating bugs to Western country inhabitants. The UN wants Europeans to accept edible bugs as part of their diets as an alternative source of protein.
Eating meat such as beef, pork and lamb is a very resource intense way to farm edible calories. For example a cow will need to eat around ten times more grass and feed than the amount of meat it will produce that is suitable for human consumption. And of course there is the carbon footprint created from relocating the animals and producing and selling the cuts of meat.
In a world where we face shortages of many types of crops and fossil fuels, it doesn’t make sense to be this wasteful.
Subtle ways to start enjoying eating insects
European families don’t show excitement towards eating bugs and insects with their food mainly because there are few species in Europe that can safely be eaten or that provide a pleasant taste and texture, so the practice of eating bugs can often be incorrectly thought of as “disgusting. European tourists often take home bug candy especially lollies to play a joke on their friends.
However, if introduced to the right types of edible bugs, would their attitudes change?
For example, cricket pasta wouldn’t be such a bad thing for a new insect eater to start with, particularly as pasta is a staple food in most European countries. What’s more, cricket pasta is gluten free, and choosing gluten free products has become very popular and almost righteous in trendy countries like the UK.
Add to that the high-protein content and the fact that the product is 100% organic, then on paper it should be the perfect choice for health conscious Brits.
For those that want to enjoy the high protein and immune boosting health benefits of eating insects but without braving a new taste, then insect flour and cricket powder capsules can be another subtle way to start trying edible insects.
If you could recommend one new bug based food for an edible insect doubter to try, what would it be?
Alan
I think cricket pasta, or any insect pasta for that matter, is a great way to introduce edible insects to anyone new to the world of entomophagy.