The answer is yes, it’s called entomophagy. For many of you, this word can sound bizarre or even hard to pronounce… truth is the entomophagy is the practice of eating insects by human beings. This is a regular diet in places like Asia, Africa and Latin America, where more than 2 million people consume it daily. You are probably thinking, how I’m I going to eat an insect? That’s gross!
Even though this has been a diet that has been practiced for centuries, nowadays it has called up the attention of chefs and culinary institutions since the demographic growth and the way the request of food has increased over the years, has been analyzed. There has been an estimation that for the year 2030 more than 9 million people will have to be fed around the world, that is without counting all the millions of animals that are raised to be used in the food industry and all the pets at home. This is why it has been necessary to search for different options to offer food with high levels of protein to the world’s population.
That is when entomophagy comes in…the insects aren’t only nourishing since they are packed with proteins and minerals, but they also contribute to reducing the social impact during their life cycle. We can eat insects whole or in powder and then we could simply add it to our food.
Talking about the benefits that growing insects has, one of them is the health benefits it offers. For example, it has been proved that insects have more protein levels than a piece of meat or fish. In fact, it has been used as a nutritious meal for malnourished kids, since it is protein rich and contains important levels of fiber and micronutrients.
Now, it's needless to say that entomophagy is not a practice of ‘the poor’. There are several insects that because of their properties and flavors, they can become a very expensive meal, like the caterpillar of the monarch butterfly.
Let’s now talk about what everybody is wondering…¿which are the edible insects? At this moment, there are more than 1900 species of edible insects. According to studies, the most eaten insects are: beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps and ants. Followed by grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, cicadas, woodlouses and green stink bugs, termites, dragonflies and flies.
Lastly, I’m pretty sure you are also wondering if entomophagy is dangerous or not. Up until today, studies show that the only secondary effect could be the regular allergies similar to crustaceans.
After reading this information, would you dare to try insects?