Eating Bugs Goes Mainstream

[Rick]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1810336,00.html

[crashdive123]

People used to scoff at my profession. With rising food prices...hmmm. One spray, one kill.

[Rick]

I was actually looking for some classes on edible insects when I ran across that post.

[Rick]

Here's a rather lengthy list of edible insect in North America:

http://www.food-insects.com/book7_31/Chapter%2002%20N%20American%20Indigenous.htm

[crashdive123]

I know that this isn't the "class" you were looking for, but interesting info. http://www.food-info.net/uk/products/insects/classes.htm

[Rick]

I did see that one. Here's one I need to read through. It's where that list of insects came from.

http://www.food-insects.com/

[crashdive123]

I've read through some of their newsletters. Interesting stuff. Looks like the site hasn't been updated in a while, but the info is still good.

[Merriwether]

Hey, 1.6 billion people can't be wrong...
China part 4: Eating Things.html (http://intotheborderlands.blogspot.com/2007/01/china-part-4-eating-things.html)
(shameless blog plug):rolleyes:

Though I am bummed I wasn't able to find anyone selling roasted scorpions.

I have to say though that crickets, grasshoppers and June bugs are pretty good. If you cook them right they kind of taste like steak. Seriously! One word of warning, the brightly colored bugs are that way for a reason. Usually a camouflaged bug is a yummy bug.

Red, orange and yellow,
Forgo that fine fellow.
Black, green and brown,
Go ahead and toss him down.
-Forager's rhyme

-Merriwether

[crashdive123]

In South Korea there are street corner vendors selling roasted grubs (big ones) just like pretzel vendors in New York. Once you get past what they are they weren't too ba..........oh who am I trying to kid.

[Merriwether]

Crash, what did the grubs taste like? I've been trying to talk myself into eating some, but they look so disgusting...

-Merriwether

[crashdive123]

The ones I was eating were roasted in a giant wok over a fire, so no gushy, slimy parts. Pretty crunchy, kind of a nutty flavor, and they DID NOT taste just like chicken. Live would have been a whole different matter.

[Rick]

The analogy I use is chips with the dip on the inside. No, I haven't tried them and I won't. Would like to try the scorpions, however. I would think the tails would be good.

[danmc]

I have to say though that crickets, grasshoppers and June bugs are pretty good. If you cook them right they kind of taste like steak. Seriously!

-Merriwether


Care to elaborate on what "cook them right" means in the context of crickets? Are we talking the regular black crickets like I might find in the backyard? I've been trying to get up the nerve to try them but so far haven't. Any advice about collecting enough crickets, how to make sure they're clean enough for eating, etc?

[crashdive123]

Much better roasted than live IMO. Roasted - kind of crunchy. Live - kind of squishy and if you get that "I gotta get this down quick" attitude and don't chew, they tend to crawl around for awhile.

[Merriwether]

Care to elaborate on what "cook them right" means in the context of crickets?

I've found crickets and grasshoppers taste best if you first soak them in saltwater for 5-10 minutes then either roast them over a fire like a shishkabob (Chinese method) or in a hot pan with just a little bit of oil (India method). Too much oil in the pan gives them an oily taste that I don't like.

If your wife will let you, you can also broil them in the oven, but that's a lot of energy use for such a small return.

To insure the crickets are "clean" feed them only fresh lettuce for two days then starve them for a day. You can buy a bunch of crickets from pet stores for pennies and these have all been raised on fresh fruits and veggies. Starve them for a day then cook them up.

-Merriwether

[crashdive123]

You can buy a bunch of crickets from pet stores for pennies and these have all been raised on fresh fruits and veggies. Starve them for a day then cook them up.

-Merriwether

I'm thinking if I'm going to the store to buy food - 1. It won't be the pet store and 2. It won't be crickets.

[Rick]

You know you have a different mind set when you're hiking and you look at grasshoppers, crickets and frogs and go, "Oh, snack."