'There was an old woman who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Perhaps she'll die.'?
Well today that same fly eating crone would be very much alive & possibly working on her 2nd million in culinary sales. For she was on the forefront of the next big thing in international cuisine - dining on insects.
Yes, kids, the creepy fact is that slurping down 'bugs' is not limited to grossed out 'Fear Factor' contestants. Today over 75% of the world includes multi-legged, crawling creatures as part of their diets.
And they are choosing these tasty treats from over 1000 different species.
So there's a very good chance that you may encounter some 'cockroach cooking' sooner than later in your travels.
Yum.
Hey, before you turn your nose or barf at the thought of a thousand tiny legs tickling your throat on their one way trip to your belly, remember that there are people in this world who consider dining on caterpillars, grubs & beetles as being a great delicacy...
... but they would never, ever let something as disgusting - in their eyes - as a shrimp or lobster get past their lips.
Never mind a raw oyster.
You see, it's all in perspective.
The truth of the matter is that insects are the super sustainable food. They grow very quickly. Many are low in fat but rich with proteins, vitamins & minerals.
Plus they need much less land, water & food to nurture than farm animals.
In other words - the perfect crop.
Besides, you've already been eating bugs for a very long time. And I don't mean the ones that accidently fly down your open, snoring pie hole.
Ever read FDA standards for the food you eat?
Well, canned tomatoes can have 5 fly eggs & 1 maggot per 500 grams...
... frozen broccoli could house 60 mites per 100 grams...
... ground cinnamon - that you like to sprinkle on your french toast - is allowed 400 hundred insect fragments plus 1 rodent hair per 100 grams...
... & that peanut butter you pack into junior's lunchbox may have 30 insect fragments + that tasty, nutritious rodent hair per 100 grams...
... & ALL STILL PASS FDA STANDARDS.
BTW, a 28oz jar of Skippy is almost 800 grams - you do the math.
Double yum!
'Ok,' you say. 'But bugs will never be intentionally served on good old USA tables!'
Sorry Jack but the fact is: insects have already crawled onto American restaurant menus.
Today you can dine on a variety of larvae, ants & their closest cousins at restaurants in LA, NYC, DC, Chicago & MA.
Plus they are literally jumping onto plates in more eateries across the country every day.
And they are being featured as the real deal on TV cooking shows.
So you might not have to wait 'til your next trip to Timbuktu for your 1st 'buggy' encounter.
Ok, you accidently walk into one of these trendy grasshopper grills. What do you order?
Well, unlike many exotic meats, none of these creatures taste like chicken. But you may have luck with these:
Termites - either raw, roasted or fried. Those in the know say they taste like carrots.
Palette pleasing perhaps, but not quite your 'veggie' of choice?
Then there's the Palm Weevil Larva. This fat grub is eaten straight from the tree, skewered and roasted over hot coals or fried in flour and wrapped like a tamale.
Raw it's coconut-ish. Cooked it reminds some of bacon.
Oh, coconut makes you gag & you already had enough bacon with your breakfast eggs?
Ok, how about a mouth watering plate of 'Huhu Grubs'.
Although - to the untrained eye - they might look like big, fat maggots, New Zealanders eat these - either raw or sauteed - by the bucketful. Loaded with protein, the claim is they taste like peanut butter.
And, unlike a jar of Jif, you'll always know exactly how many insect parts are really in each gram - 100%.
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