Bugs on your plate

In August this year, a conference on edible insects, the brainchild of Indo-Canadian Aruna Antonela Handa, culminated in Montreal with a multi-course meal where a variety of insects were served to the delegates. And events such as these, are now becoming commonplace with Indian scientists too studying the potential of insects as protein food.

Entomophagy, or eating insects, is practiced in certain parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America with dishes such as chocolate covered locusts, stir fried red ants and grasshopper crisps gaining popularity. According to a report by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), insects form a part of the traditional diet of at least two billion people and more than 1,900 species have reportedly been used as food.

Now, the rest of the world, including India, is playing catch-up it seems. Cricket farms are getting bigger in the US with the insect moving from pet bowls to regular plates. In fact, a few protein bars with cricket protein are already in the market. The European Union has announced a spending of 3 million Euros to look at the potential of insects supplementing the continent's food supply.

In India, scientists at the Cotton College in Guwahati are looking into the insect diet of the Bodo tribe in Assam (Bodos consume insects such as caterpillars, termites, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles). The Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute in Mysore has made a salty pickle out of the silkworm pupae. It is also experimenting with converting leftover silkworm pupae into food.

But why is there so much interest in insects as food? The surge in interest is because scientists are taking the threat of food scarcity in the future seriously, and are trying to find alternate sources of protein and energy. In effect they are hunting for nutritious alternatives to mainstream staples like chicken, beef and others.

So even if the idea of a crispy cricket or a silkworm pupae kofta gives you the creeps, it is time to get acquainted to them, as bugs on the plate seems to be a real possibility in the not so distant future.

Bugs are truly nutrition packed and cheap too. Here's why:

Green weaver ant, the top of the ladder, gives upwards of 1,200 calories/100 grams, locusts about 180 calories, grasshoppers about 160 calories and crickets are a weight loser's delight with about 120 calories/100 gram.
Protein apparently comes in truckloads. Crickets give between 8-25 grams/100 grams, and grasshoppers between 13-28 grams/100 grams. They are a source of good fats too; for example, termites provide MUFA (essential fatty acids oleic acid), and grasshoppers are a good MUFA-PUFA combination (oleic and linolenic acid).
Besides protein, fats and energy, most insects are rich in calcium, iron and zinc too. Most edible insects have equal or higher iron contents than even beef. Beef provides 6 mg iron/100 grams, while mopane caterpillar trumps it at 31–77 mg iron /100 grams. Vitamins, particularly B and A, are also found in plenty in insects.
What's more is they need less resources to be produced; for example a cricket requires 12 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein.
According to the UN report, the top most consumed insects globally are beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, cicadas and leafhoppers.

Bugs from around the world
Grasshoppers: Considered an alternative to fried potato crisps, Roasted grasshoppers are a popular street food in Mexico. they are served on skewers in some Chinese food markets, and in Uganda they are added to soups. In Japan, inago (fried grasshopper) is a popular snack.

Mealworms: In Mexico, tortillas enriched with yellow mealworms are a traditional source of protein.
Red Ants: Stir fry red ant eggs (khai mot phat) is a popular dish in Thailand. In Colombia, ants are roasted with salt and vinegar and eaten at feasts. Chinese like a steaming hot bowl of ant soup. In India' Chhattisgarh state, a spicy chutney is made with red ants along with their eggs, and ants are also served as garnish on top of dishes to make them spicier.

Crickets: JJing Leed, a deep-fried cricket seasoned with Golden Mountain sauce (similar to soy sauce) and pepper, is a popular snack in Thailand.

Locusts: Chocolate-covered locusts are a delicacy in Mexico.

Termites: In Ghana, winged termites are collected and fried, roasted and often even ground into flour for baking purposes. In South Africa, they are eaten with cornmeal porridge.

Dragon flies: De-winged dragonflies boiled in coconut milk with ginger and garlic are a delicacy in Bali.

Caterpillers: French-fried caterpillars offer a satisfying crunch in Mexico.