Are Bugs The New Food Craze? The Benefits Of Eating Insects, And Which Insects To Eat

I grew up in a part of the United States that occasionally had severe infestations of locusts, a kind of insect also known as the short-horned grasshopper. Vast swarms of bugs, that nowadays would show up on radar (weather radar had not been introduced when I was a kid), stripped plants bare, mated, and laid their eggs in the ground for the next invasion.

During one of the swarms of grasshoppers that hit our farm, when I was about six years old, my aunt, who had been a teenager during first few years of the Great Depression when food was scarce, commented that fried grasshopper legs were crunchy and delicious. On her advice I persuaded a grasshopper to donate to the experiment and tried them. I apologized to the grasshopper, which hopped away on five legs, and never ate bugs again until I was an adult.

Here are five reasons to eat bugs:

• Insects are sustainable food source. They are coldblooded, so they don't spend calories keeping themselves warm. The food they eat becomes food for higher-level predators. Moreover, insects eat many kinds of agricultural waste that otherwise could not be consumed.
• Insects are easy to grow.  In fact, it's hard to keep them from growing. They don't need special cages. They are quiet, or, in some instances, they like to sing. They are cheap to feed. They are efficient producers of edible protein. And they are odor-free. Unlike, say, a cow, which takes several years to become edible beef, insects mature in days or weeks, and reproduce rapidly. It is unlikely you will run out of insects.
• Insects are high in protein. Many of the countries where insects are eaten have difficulties growing poultry, swine, cattle, goats, or sheep. Insects provide protein to balance a high-protein diet. They also are high in fat--which can be critically deficient in many diets, as hard as it may be to believe in the diet-crazed developed world.
• Insects are versatile. Some species, such as crickets, can be dried and made into "bug bars," as well as cookies, cakes, breads, crackers, biscuits, and pasta. Food scientists have mastered techniques that extract protein from bugs while removing any "buggy" taste, to be added to high-carbohydrate flour for added nutrition.
• As hard as it may be to believe, some (although certainly not all) bugs are tasty. Mealworms and grubs fried in butter take on the flavor and texture of bacon bits. Cricket flour has a nutty flavor that enables it to function as a "gateway bug," especially when it is used to make chocolate chip cookies. 

See Also: The Benefits Of A High Protein Low Carb Diet

I'm willing to give them another try. Maybe you would, too. Let's take a look at different kinds of insects and how they would show up on your dinner plate.

A Quick Overview of Edible Bugs

Here is a quick rundown of the best known edible bugs from around the world. There are many other edible species than those listed here, but if you are looking for a "Bugs 101" to avoid unpleasant first experiences, these species are the best.

Agave Worms

The agave worm, also known as the maguey worm, is the larva of a moth that grows on the agave plants used to make tequila. This is the insect that becomes the worm in the tequila bottle. High in protein, agave worms as also used to make tacos and omelets.

Ants

Stinging ant larvae, dug from the mound and mixed with scrambled eggs, are a popular food in remote regions of central Mexico.

The leafcutter ants eaten in South America are also known as "hormigas culonas," big-butt ants, and taste like a blend of bacon and pistachio nuts.

Beetles

There are over 100 species of edible beetles, many of which live in the water. Some beetles contain about 25% more protein per 100-gram (3-1/2 oz) serving than beef, and they are a good source of iron, zinc, and calcium. The unfortunately named dung beetles, which are not necessarily found in dung, but often feed on mushrooms, are prized for their mushroom-like flavor.

Bees

Bee larvae feed on honey and royal jelly, and make a tasty fried or stewed snack. In China, adult bees are roasted and ground into flour for making pancakes.

Fly pupae

The pupae of the common housefly are said to have a taste like fish sauce, with an irony aftertaste, something like liver.

Grasshoppers

Connoisseurs of insect cuisine advise that my cooking technique (I was six years old at the time) may have contributed to my dislike of the bug. In most countries where grasshoppers are regularly consumed, they are roasted, not fried, and the whole body is eaten, not just the tough and chewy leg.

They are also eaten with chocolate or honey. Grasshoppers may be added to stews and stir-fries that have other, strong flavors. A 100-gram (3-1/2 ounce) serving of grasshoppers provides 28 grams of protein, slightly more than an equal weight serving of rib eye (beef) steak. 

It's usually not a good idea to catch grasshoppers for human consumption in an urban environment or on a farm where crops are grown, because they may have been sprayed with poisons. In the wild, however, or at specialty shops, grasshoppers are usually perfectly safe for human consumption.

Mealworms

Mealworms are found wherever there is, of course, meal. These wriggly critters can be roasted, freid, or eaten raw. They have a nutty taste.

Pill Bugs

Pill bugs, also known as rolly-pollies, doodle bugs, and woodlice, aren't actually insects. They are land-bound crustaceans that turn pink when cooked like lobster or shrimp.

Water Bugs

The water bug is a popular food in Thailand. Raw water bug has an apple-like scent, and cooked water bug yields a relatively large amount of melony flesh.

See Also: Understanding Paleo: The Good, The Bad And The Ill-Founded

It's even possible to find edible cockroaches, wasps, termites, tarantulas, and scorpions. If you don't want to catch and cook your own edible insects, consider buying:

• Chirps, from Six Foods, a chip made with beans, rice, and cricket flour,
• Chocolate covered silkworms, from Thailand Unique, or
• Chapul Cricket Bars, which combine cricket flour with dark chocolate, cayenne, coconut, lemon, lime, or ginger, in different bars in their product line.