The word: Edible insects
17 March 2007
From New Scientist Print Edition.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...e-insects.html


FANCY A locust for lunch? Probably not, if you live in the west, but elsewhere it's a different story. Edible insects - termites,
stick insects, dragonflies, grasshoppers and giant water bugs - are on the menu for an estimated 80 per cent of the world's
population.

More than 1000 species of insects are served up around the world. For example, "kungu cakes" - made from midges - are a delicacy in
parts of Africa. Mexico is an insect-eating - or entomophagous - hotspot, where more than 200 insect species are consumed. Demand is
so high that 40 species are now under threat, including white agave worms. These caterpillars of the tequila giant-skipper butterfly
fetch around $250 a kilogram.

Eating insects makes nutritional sense. Some contain more protein than meat or fish. The female gypsy moth, for instance, is about
80 per cent protein. Insects can be a good source of vitamins and minerals too: a type of caterpillar (Usta terpsichore) eaten in
Angola is rich in iron, zinc and thiamine.

What do they taste like? Ants have a lemon tang, apparently, whereas giant water bugs taste of mint and fire ant pupae of
watermelon. You have probably, inadvertently, already tasted some of these things, as insects are often accidental tourists in other
types of food. The US Food and Drug Administration even issues guidelines for the number of insect parts allowed in certain foods.
For example, it is acceptable for 225 grams of macaroni to contain up to 225 insect fragments.

“Ants have a lemon tang; fire ant pupae taste of watermelon”Insects have been an important part of the human diet for thousands of
years, so why has insect eating died out in the developed world? Stuart Hine, an entomologist at the Natural History Museum in
London, says it is a cultural thing: insects are seen as "dirty" and as carriers of disease. Despite this, a decade ago, insect
eating seemed to be making a comeback, with the publication of a number of insect recipe books. Although supermarket shelves are
still devoid of insect-based delicacies, have no fear, entomophagy is not entirely non-existent in the west. Edible, a London-based
company, supplies products such as chocolate-covered ants and toasted leafcutter ants. Perhaps, as we become more aware of the
sentience of higher animals, insects will become the protein of choice in centuries to come?

On 6 April, Hine will give a talk on edible insects at London's Natural History Museum and offer some unusual snacks. This event can
also be viewed online at: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/n...e-webcast.html.