Food traditions often come full circle. Hence it is not surprising that the world is now waking up to the nutrition benefits of insects and grubs.
In 2014, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations held the first international conference on insects for food and feed, where industry leaders, insect breeders, universities, NGOs and stakeholders gathered with a clear message — that insects for feed and food are viable solutions to tackle the world’s protein-deficit problem.
Since then, there have been heated debates about whether insects can be a food supplement or, even replace what is considered food.
Often, the idea of insects as food is met with an expression of disgust. But one must understand that eating habits are conditioned by culture. Delve into history, and you’ll realise that entomophagy, or the consumption of insects and bugs by humans, goes back centuries. Ancient Greeks and Romans are said to have dined on them. Roman aristocrats, for instance, reportedly used to love eating beetle larvae fattened with flour and wine.
But you don’t need to go that far back. Visit a night market in Bangkok, and you’ll see freshly fried silk larvae, bamboo worms and scorpions. People in South East Asia, China, Central and South America and Australia include insects as part of their regular diet. Closer home, the indigenous tribes of the Northeast, and Central and South India consume insects as well.
Packed with nutrition
Insects are a nutritious form of protein. Many scientists believe that eating them will not only benefit our health, but the planet as well. Farming insects is said to emit 10 times less emission than farming livestock for consumption. Indigenous tribes of the North East consume amoli parua (the eggs of red ants) during Bohag Bihu; these are said to taste like egg yolk. Leta, or the larvae of silk worms, are eaten enthusiastically during winter — they are crunchy on the outside and the texture inside resembles bean curd. The Bodo tribe of Assam considers this a delicacy, and it is a staple in their meals. Members of these tribes also consume caterpillars, termites, grasshoppers, crickets and beetles.
Protein replacement
In Central India, indigenous tribes make up for the lack of protein in their diet by eating ants and crickets. They make a chutney by pounding together ants, garlic, ginger and chilli.
Ants are a delicacy in Brazil too; especially the winged variety that flies out in plenty in the months of October and November — these are females who are sent out to create new ant colonies. Their stomachs are full of nutrients, and that is what makes them additionally appealing to many as a food source. The wings are removed, and the insect is fried, roasted or dipped in chocolate! Rural Japanese have survived rough agricultural and economic conditions by eating insects. Now, many restaurants flaunt bugs and insects on their menu.
A sign of daredevilry?
A reason why the vast majority looks unkindly at eating insects is possibly because of the taboo associated with them. In many Western countries, the idea of entomophagy has still not been embraced. Bug eating is largely limited to TV reality shows, and there too as a dare and a sign of bravery. But, scientists the world over are of the opinion that if famine is to be avoided in the future, and if we must not eat our way through the currently-acceptable sources of nourishment, we must look towards insects as food.
The author is a food consultant and blogger
