Crunchy crawlies
Patrick Grootaert, head of our Entomology Department, takes part in projects throughout South East Asia. This gives him many opportunities to sample the local cuisine: "No group of insects is shunned here: beetles, bees, grasshoppers, termites... you name it! And they are even eaten at different stages: adults are considered as tasty as larvae."
"Insect eating is common practice among most peoples", Patrick goes on. "In this part of the world, they used to drink mead: a mixture of crushed and fermented honeycombs with the bee larvae still in them."
Live healthy, eat insects!
Insects are not only delicious, but also very nutritious. 100 g of dried insect contains 30 to 70 g proteins, what is similar to beef and pork. Moreover, insects are crammed with vitamins and minerals!
Insects can certainly contribute to the daily food intake. This is shown in a recent study of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations): 70 to 90 percent of the inhabitants of Central Africa consume insects. The FAO favours an increase in food security in promoting edible insects.
Insects are also economically important: not only do local farmers sell their harvests on the market, but there is a significant international trade in edible insects. Moreover, insect eating is environmentally friendlier: insect breeding demands less space and energy than cattle breeding and is far less polluting. Insect harvesting can even be a means of biological pest control.
A stall Thai market stall sells all kinds of snacks, many made of creepy crawlies.
And what about you?
You have certainly swallowed lots of insects in your life… and not only when cycling. Flour, bread, chocolate, coffee, tinned or frozen vegetables, and many other products may contain ground bits of insects… (More information on the FDAL website - this website will be opened in a new window)
But insects are even purposely added to Western foods: Smarties, Campari, lipstick and yoghourt owe their pink colour to scale insects. That’s what the E120 label stands for.
So you probably shouldn’t worry too much if you occasionally swap your pork dish for some grasshoppers or mealworms. Over the next pages you can find out more information about the use of insects and other critters and… some recipes to try at home!
"Not many insects are bred at the moment", says Patrick Grootaert, "most species are simply caught and consumed when they are abundant in nature. One exception are silkworms, since they are an edible by-product of silk industry. Sustainable use is not yet adopted here."
Sustainable use makes up an important part of several projects in South-eastern Asia. Patrick Grootaert: "People in Cambodia often burn bee nests after they have taken the honey out, which obviously is not very sustainable. One of our employees is now touring the villages to see which bee species are present, and to talk with the inhabitants about a forward-looking use."
