Bugs are yummy !
In Thailand people eat insects. It is a very common food. There are farmers raising crickets and other insects. About 200 species are consumed and some of them are highly appreciated. Silkworms, crickets, beetles, bamboo worms, ants, scorpions, tarantulas … The choice is very large.
It is not uncommon to see one or several stalls selling grilled insects on the markets in Thailand. In Bangkok, there is always a seller, in the evening, from 6 p.m. in general, on Khao San Road . And like for fruits and vegetables, there are seasons for insects. If it is often a curiosity for foreign visitors unfamiliar with this kind of food and generally disgusted with the idea of eating them but Thais buy grilled insects as they buy popcorn or chips. It depends on the mentality because of course Westerners’ disgust is mostly psychological. For journalistic integrity I tested it. I bought crickets at Si Saket’s Food Safety Street. And for those who have not tasted it yet, I’ll tell you what they do taste like. Well … they taste like… like chili! They were very very spicy, so spicy that I can not tell you what the taste of cricket is. But it is very crispy and fun to eat.
Thailand is not the only country in the world to eat insects, far from it! There are over 1,400 species identified as edible that are consumed in 36 African countries, 29 Asian countries and 23 countries in the Americas. The number of people who regularly consume insects is estimated at almost 2.5 billion persons. Entomophagy, which will convert Westener with difficulty, all the experts agree, the future of human food. This is the only way to manage to feed an increasingly populated planet. The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization released a study and handbook Tuesday on what they call “six-legged livestock” edible bugs and worms that can help meet global food demand that is expected to grow 60 percent by 2050. The agency says they provide a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Experts predict that there will 9 billion mouths to feed in 2050. The nutritional value of an insect is more important than any other farmed meatin proteins, in vitamins and minerals and it contents much more proteins. They are so numerous that it is an almost inexhaustible source of food, if well managed. It is also more environmentally friendly, no need to sacrifice agricultural land for pasture or to produce large quantities of cereals to feed them. If everyone had the eating habits of Westerners, there would simply not be enough land available. Last argument, at a time when the quality of the meatraises questions, we remember mad cow disease, insects appear as a healthy source of protein. So did we convince you?
If yes, I give you a little recipe that is not in our Thai cooking videos courses, fried beetles. Heat oil, once it shuddered, throw larvae. When they start to brown, season with salt and a few herbs and remove them from the heat to place them on a paper towel to remove the oil. And it’s ready! Bon appetit!
