How would you feel if I told you that in the near future we'll all be eating bugs? Like it or not, this is shaping up to be the next frontier in food. But don't worry — it won't be as gross and gulping down freshly-dug grubs.
People around the world have been eating bugs for thousands of years. The critters are an excellent source of protein, they're low fat, they're plentiful, and they don't require a lot of resources to raise (oh hello there, California drought of 2015).
"I compare insects today to lobsters and sushi in our culinary history," says Addison Lilholt, author of Entomological Gastronomy. "Lobsters were served to prisoners and not looked at as a white-tablecloth dining experience at all. Nor was sushi accepted in the US until mainstream culture adopted it."
Still not convinced? Here's a few edible insect foods that might surprise you.
Have you ever eaten insects — intentionally? Do you think you'd try any of these foods?
Image via Don Bugito/Etsy
Are We Ready to Eat Bugs?
What will it take for Americans to start eating bugs? "For people to start eating insects on purpose in western culture, education is critical," Lilholt says. "To understand the benefit of eating insects (arachnids included), people will have to understand the economical, ecological, and nutritional benefits that an entomophagist and the world gains through eating bugs. The tasty benefits are then just an added bonus!"
But I beg to differ. I think it's going to take some creativity — companies will have to produce foods that actually taste good, but in a very familiar way. Here's some examples that sound promising.
Bitty Bites
Bitty Foods makes flour made from crickets milled with cassava and coconut. A cup contains a whopping 28 grams of protein! In addition to flour, the company also sells cookies and other treats. My 11-year-old son and I tasted the cookies recently and liked them.
"Our goal is to make the foods we consume already healthier, and begin to offset some of the less sustainable meat consumption," Bitty co-founder Leslie Ziegler told The Stir. "Cricket flour is good for your body, as a rich source of protein, fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the planet. Snack foods like cookies that utilize this supercharged ingredient are a simple and delicious way to seamlessly incorporate edible insects into the mainstream diet."
Chirps by Six Foods
Another company called Six Foods is using cricket flour to make chip-like snacks called Chirps. They're made with chia seeds, beans, corn, peas, and seeds, are gluten-free, and contain six grams of protein per serving.
Hopper Crunch Granola
Hopper Foods in Austin, Texas makes granola from cricket flour in cranberry & almond, toasted coconut, and cacao and cayenne.
More from The Stir: No More Bugs in Your Starbucks
Don Bugito Prehispanic Snacks
For the more adventurous, there's San Francisco-based Don Bugito Prehistoric Snacks, offering such edibles as maple cricket granola, chocolate-covered superworms, and sal du gusano, a salt made from toasted chinicuil moths.
Chapul: The Original Cricket Energy Bar
Green Kow
Green Kow is a Belgian company that makes spreads containing mealworms. There is a savory spread made with tomato and carrot and a sweet spread with chocolate. Kind of like Nutella … right?
