Do u think ants are sweet, yes of course, but I asked about their taste? Yakkkk!!! I knew that's your reaction to it. But actually how do they taste? Let's look into the fact below whether you would like to have a bite or not!
Yes, now
lets get into the shocking yet true facts. To start with the stinkbugs,
they have an apple flavor, and red agave worms are spicy. On the other
hand, a bite of tree worm
apparently brings pork rinds to mind. The shocking information will come
in everyone’s reach for those of us following the current
recommendation from the United Nations: Consume more insects.
Interestingly, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization report released on Monday (during the month of May, 2013), recalls us that there are beyond 1,900 edible insect species
on Earth, hundreds of which are already part of the diet in many
countries. In fact, some two billion people eat a wide variety of
insects regularly, both cooked and raw;
only in Western countries does the practice retain an "ick" factor
among the masses. Why eat something that we usually powerfully blow away
otherwise battle along with insecticides?
Inclined towards the starters, many insects are packed with protein,
fiber, good fats, along with vital minerals—as much or more than many
other food sources.
Mealworms
Coming to
one prominent example such as mealworms, the larval form of a
particular species of darkling beetle that lives in temperate regions
worldwide. Mealworms provide protein,
vitamins, and minerals on par with those found in fish and meat.
Another healthful treat to mention is the small grasshoppers rank up
there with lean ground beef in protein
content, accompanying less fat per gram. At the same time raising and
harvesting insects requires much less land than raising cows, pigs, and
sheep. Insects convert food into
protein much more effectively than livestock do—meaning they need less
food to produce more product. They also emit considerably fewer
greenhouse gases than most livestock (think gassy cows).
Entomophagy, the consumption of insects as food, is also a safe and healthy way to help reduce pest insects without using insecticides. Additionally,
gathering and farming insects can offer innovative forms of employment
and income, precisely in developing tropical countries where a lot of
edibles live. That helps to
explain why 36 African countries are entomophagous, as are 23 in the
Americas, 29 in Asia, and even 11 in Europe. Characterized by so many
species swarming the globe it's
difficult to parse out the specific ones most frequently eaten, so we'll
go a little broader—to the top edible insect groups. According to her
favorite cookbook, Creepy Crawly Cuisine by biologist Julieta Ramos-Elorduy, a leading proponent of the entomophagy movement.
The following are the eight creatures most frequently taken as food worldwide.
Beetles
Among beetles,
the most commonly eaten beetles are the long-horned, june, dung, as
well as rhinoceros varieties. Furthermore, these are munched by people
living in the Amazon basin, along
with parts of Africa, and other heavily forested regions, both tropical
and temperate, as diverse species are easily found in trees, fallen
logs, and on the forest floor. Native Americans, known to roast them over coals and eat them like popcorn. They are efficient at turning cellulose from trees (indigestible to humans) into digestible fat. Interestingly, beetles known to have excess protein than most other insects.
Butterflies and Moths
Butterflies and Moths,
do beyond than looking pretty waving across a meadow; these winged
insects, during their larval and pupal stages, are succulent and full of
protein and iron. They're very
popular in African countries, and are an excellent supplement for
children and pregnant women who may be deficient in these nutrients. In
Central and South America, fat and
fleshy agave worms, which live between the leaves of the agave plant
and turn into butterflies, are highly sought after for food and as the
famed worm dropped into mescal, a Mexican liquor. Moreover, cultivation of these worms could help protect them from over harvesting.
Bees
When we talk about bees and wasps,
everyone love bees for their honey, yet they have much more to give.
Indigenous people in Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and Mexico commonly
eat these insects when they are in their immature stages. Stingless
bees are most commonly munched, with wasps a distant second. Bee brood
bees still in egg, larval, or
pupal form tucked away in hive cells taste like peanuts or almonds.
Wasps, some say, have a pine-nutty flavor. Now, coming to ants, might put us into deep thinking that it takes
a lot of ants to make a meal. True. Yet, they pack a punch: 100 grams
of red ant one of thousands of ant species provide some 14 grams of
protein more than eggs, nearly 48
grams of calcium, and a nice hit of iron, among other nutrients. All
that in less than 100 calories. Plus, they're low in shortening.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Locusts,
and their ilk are the most consumed type of insect, probably due to the
reason that they're simply all over the place and they're easy to catch.
There are a lot of different kinds, and they're a great protein source.
The hoppers have a neutral flavor, so they pick up other flavors
nicely. Cricket curry, anyone? In
the intervening time, locusts move in swarms that lay waste vegetation
in countries where people are already struggling to eat—one of several
reasons to turn them into dinner.
Flies and Mosquitoes,
are not as popular as some of the others, these insects—including
edible termites and, yes, lice—still have a place at some tables. Flies
that develop on various types of
cheese take on the flavor of their host, and the species from water
habitats may taste like duck or fish.
Water Boatmen
Water Boatmen and Backswimmers,
Easy to cultivate and harvest, these cosmopolitan little guys deposit
eggs on the stems of aquatic plants, in both freshwater and saltwater environments
along with even in stagnant water. The eggs can be dried as well as
shaken from the plants to make Mexican caviar tastes like shrimp,
otherwise eaten fresh for their fishy flavor.
Stinkbugs
Stinkbugs,
could be taken if one can get past the funky smell, as these insects
apparently add an apple flavor to sauces and characterized by a valuable
source of iodine. At the same time they're also known to have anesthetic and analgesic properties.
I know
you must be wondering that insects are such good food for humans, yes
even I had the similar feeling yet after going through this information,
I am forced to think twice!
It's not easy to think yet the information is true at its best!
If you have any view on the above information, I am eager to hear from you.
Source: National Geographic
(AW:Samrat Biswas)
