Is Eating Bugs A New Trend Or An Old Tradition?

Summary: The practice of eating bugs is commonplace in many cultures, but America is slower to accept eating bugs as a reliable protein source. This blog explores the world of edible insects and the most common ways to prepare them for consumption. The five popular bugs discussed here are grasshoppers, ants, crickets, scorpions, and hornets. It ends with a discussion of how edible bugs are being introduced in America and might be common one day. Green Pest Services solves every pest issue with the utmost care and efficiency.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the topic of delicious food is on all of our minds. We can’t wait to dine on the homemade offerings at our tables this year. Just picture it: zesty turkey with savory gravy, buttery mashed potatoes, and…toasted bugs?

Although bugs probably aren’t on your Thanksgiving menu, they are a delicacy enjoyed around the world. Let’s dive into the world of edible insects by discussing five of the most frequently-eaten pests in various countries and how these unique meals already have a U.S. presence.

Buggy Meals

Did you know that there are almost 2,000 edible bug species around the world? Entomophagy, the practice of eating bugs, is common in many countries. Whether the bugs are served as street food or coated in sauce at a fancy restaurant, they are enjoyed as a dependable source of protein. They are also cheaper than meat and take up less space than livestock, so there are benefits to utilizing bugs as a steady food source.

There are a couple of disclaimers about entomophagy that we need to mention. One, people who have a shellfish allergy should avoid eating bugs because certain insects can cause the same issues. Two, the bugs need to be cooked in some capacity before consumption. Some species carry parasites (gross!), so cooking the bug removes the parasites and sanitizes the bug all at once.

There are a lot of ways to prepare edible insects, but the most common methods are:

• Baking
• Roasting
• Frying
• Salting
• Puréeing
• Crushing into a powder
• Mixing into a drink

With that in mind, let’s move on to the five famous edible bugs — and we’re not talking about the colorful grubs enjoyed by Timon and Pumbaa in The Lion King.

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers seem like one of the more difficult pests to catch, but they are captured enough to make them a popular meal. They have a deep-rooted history in Oaxaca, Mexico, as a protein-packed food that’s accessible regardless of the economy. Chapulines are a species of grasshopper in Mexico, and it also happens to be the name of the prepared dish.

After the chapulines are washed, they’re cooked in water, lime, salt, and garlic. The bugs can be enjoyed on their own as a crunchy snack, or they can be incorporated into meals as a protein. They’re often eaten in tortillas, tostadas, and pizzas. The taste of these pests is said to be on the smoky side with a touch of vinegar. Chapulines are active from June through October, so they need to be gathered during their peak season.

Ants

It makes sense that ants are a popular snack, seeing as how there seems to be a million of them in every colony! Ants are often enjoyed in Brazil since they’re so abundant there. They are eaten as an easy snack, a gourmet addition to a dish, or a pairing with pineapple to bring out the acidity of the pest.

Once the ants are roasted or fried, they can be added to any dish that needs a boost of protein. Tacos, tortillas, vegetables, and sauces are said to be elevated by the crunchy bugs. The popular species are black ants, Saúva ants, leaf-cutter ants, and weaver ants. Roasted leaf-cutter ants are also a famous movie theater snack in Colombia. The next time you see a movie, think about how much better it might be with a bowl of salty ants!

Crickets

Crickets are pretty similar to grasshoppers — they’re both in Order Orthoptera, after all — and are also eaten as a nice snack in Eastern countries. These pests are usually fried and enjoyed as a major source of protein. Crickets can be up to 2 inches long, so eating enough of these leggy insects would pack quite the punch of protein.

In Thailand, crickets are fried to become a popular snack called Jing Leed. The bugs are fried in a wok, then seasoned with local ingredients. The typical flavors are Thai pepper powder and Golden Mountain sauce, but they can also include fish sauce and various herbs and spices. Since Jing Leed is high-protein and low-fat, it’s a healthier alternative to processed snacks that are found in the chip aisle.

Scorpions

Scorpions aren’t technically bugs (they’re arachnids), but we wanted to include them since they’re one of the most intimidating street foods we’ve ever seen. The pests are found at street markets in China, where they are skewered alive before being seasoned and deep fried to order. They can also be roasted or grilled, and are a delicacy in certain regions. It’s said that their poison is harmless once the scorpion is cooked, so do with that what you will.

Interestingly enough, scorpions are already a snack in the United States! At the state fair in Arizona, intrigued visitors can enjoy a chocolate-covered scorpion on a stick. The scorpion is freshly-skewered, then dipped into chocolate that hardens as a shell. The treat is reportedly bitter, as the Phoenix New Tomes once deemed the taste a combination of “poison and gasoline” (Hahnefeld, 2010). Are you hungry yet?

Hornets

When we think of hornets, our first thought isn’t “I want that bug in my mouth!” But the stinging pests meet their match in Japan, where it’s an age-old practice to raise wasp or hornet colonies in order to farm the insects for food. Specifically, the larvae of Japanese giant hornets are used in different cooking methods. The grubs are said to be rich and taste nuttier when they’re grilled.

Once the larvae is removed from the nest, the chef grounds it into a paste to create a thin, protein-filled sauce. Apparently, the larvae have a light taste and are more of a healthy addition than a flavorful component. The larvae is also prepared in a cooking method called tsukudani. This means the larvae are cooked in soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to create a nice teriyaki flavor. Tsukudani is also used for cooking locusts, seaweed, meat, and seafood, as it works best with proteins.

Are Bugs in the Future for the U.S.?

We know that edible scorpions have already made their entrance in America, but what about the rest of these bug snacks? After all, meat alternatives are on the rise as people are being more intentional with their diets. There are a lot of benefits with edible bugs: they’re versatile, environmentally-friendly, and ecological. Bugs are a treat in other countries, so it seems like the U.S. is missing out on a tasty snack.

There are a couple of main reasons why we’re hesitant to incorporate bugs into our meals here. For one, Western countries don’t make it a habit to cook and eat the bugs we find because — quite simply — we deem them gross and unfit for consumption. Considering the demand for pest control services, it’s hard to see how eating bugs could be a part of our everyday lives.

Another reason is that we are largely a meat-based country. Livestock is available year-round and the farming business is essential to our society, whereas some bugs aren’t available in the colder seasons (wasps, caterpillars, etc.). It’s hard to make a fresh meal out of a dead bug, and many people would rather have a hearty stew than an insect-based meal.

One Baby (Insect) Step at a Time

T-Mobile Park, the stadium of the Seattle Mariners, is a pioneer in this movement with their best-selling chapulines at Edgar’s Cantina. The bugs are toasted and seasoned with chili-lime, and are a huge hit every season. Specialized snack companies, like Don Bugito® and Chirps Chips®, create bug-based snacks that sound tempting. Cricket flour could become a leading flour alternative in the near future.

It looks like there’s a hopeful effort and a lot of creative brain-power going into the introduction of edible bugs to America. The stereotype of us eating anything fried seems to ring true with the popularity of fried insects at state fairs. Some experts say that the U.S. would be more open to eating bugs if they were ground into a powder or made into a supplement. Protein powders and vitamins are all the rage, so they’re not far off with this observation.

As we see it, bugs are slowly being introduced to the American market, but it will be a while before the general public welcomes entomophagy. Food trends come and go, so it’s not unreasonable to imagine a time where Americans regularly eat bugs. Who knows, bags of zesty grasshoppers and chocolate-covered termites might be flying off our grocery store shelves before we know it!

Pests in Your Kitchen? Go Green!

The concept of eating bugs for the protein is interesting, but we’d rather have fried bugs on our plates than an army of pests in our kitchens. The licensed technicians of Green Pest Services solve each pest issue with the utmost care and efficiency. We are dedicated to protecting local homes and businesses from persistent pests that go where they aren’t wanted. Between our targeted treatments and our expansive pest knowledge, we will get to the bottom of your pest problems in no time. Contact us for a free quote on the most efficient services around!

Citations

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Hahnefeld, L. (2010, October 21). Chocolate-covered scorpions, fried butter, and other state fair eats. Phoenix New Times. Available at https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/chocolate-covered-scorpions-fried-butter-and-other-state-fair-eats-6445941 (Accessed on November 7, 2024).

Ho, S. (2019, February 8). The Japanese tradition of raising and eating wasps. The Splendid Table. Available at https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2019/02/08/the-japanese-tradition-of-raising-and-eating-wasps (Accessed on November 7, 2024).

Ítaka, M. (2021, February 26). Building blocks: Chapulines, a bug’s culinary life in Oaxaca. Culinary Backstreets. Available at https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/oaxaca/2021/chapulines-oaxaca/ (Accessed on November 7, 2024).

McCarthy, I. (2021, January 5). What’s bugging you? 10 of the best insect delicacies around the world. Fine Dining Lovers. Available at https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/insect-delicacies-around-world (Accessed on November 7, 2024).

O’Sullivan, S. (2021, September 10). Insect snacks: The new sustainable superfood?. Refinery29. Available at https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/best-insect-snacks-small-giants-crunchy-critters (Accessed on November 7, 2024).

Purdum, T. (2021, October 31). Food tech: The science of eating bugs. Science Museum of Virginia. Available at https://smv.org/learn/blog/science-eating-bugs/ (Accessed on November 7, 2024).

Scinto, M. (2024, September 1). At this MLB ballpark, bugs are a best seller. Mashed. Available at https://www.mashed.com/1651189/mlb-seattle-mariners-grasshoppers/ (Accessed on November 7, 2024).