Eating Jiminy Cricket: Insects as Food

[gfron1]

I think the reason for the tarantula prices you're seeing is that they're generally sold for the pet trade (where $25 is getting close to the low end of the price scale which goes up as high as $300 for more exotic varieties), not the food market. Even if a specialty shop is carrying them to sell for consumption, they're probably still coming from the pet trade at the bottom end of the price range (~$10) and then being marked up to increase the mystique for adventurous eaters.

If anyone really really wants them, I have plenty in my neck of the woods come monsoon season. There are spots where the road literally is covered and when you drive through them you hear the pops - disgusting. So I'll sell them to you for $10 less   Joking...no orders please.

[GlorifiedRice]

Okay found the book

 

http://www.carolina.com

and

http://www.bugsofamerica.com

[Mjx]

I wonder if these are edible:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_birdeater

 

 

MJX I cant find the book at the moment but IIRC it was a lab

 

They may be edible and taste okay, but it seems like they'd be mostly water and chitin, which might give you an impressively hairy-looking crunchy snack, but 24 bucks a pop seems kind of steep...unless it's question of simply wanting to satisfy your curiosity and there being nothing available at a lower price point, then sure, why not? I've certainly spent more than that to satisfy my curiosity.

[btbyrd]

The Nordic Food Lab brings you... cricket and mealworm broth! Now with more kombu! It looks pretty gross to me, and the descriptions of the tastes don't really do it any favors either. They developed a bunch of insect-themed dishes for an event called "Pestival," and you can read more about them here.

 

On a related note, I just saw this documentary on PBS the other night and it reminded me of this thread. Can Eating Insects Save The World? I'm not sure it can, but it was pretty interesting nonetheless. I'm curious about those red ant eggs. Not so much about the spiders or water bugs. I might be on board with a fried cricket or two though. Maybe.

 

Edited January 5, 2015 by btbyrd (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Until this weekend the only insects I had eaten were chocolate-covered ants, which I am not sure really counts. While in Mexico City, though, I got to eat crickets (chapulines) as well as powdered chicatana ants. The chapulines are toasted and seasoned with various combinations of dried chiles, salt, and lime, and come in various sizes. They were actually terrific -- I have no idea how much flavor the actual cricket had because even the biggest of them tasted like the seasoning mixture, without any other readily-identifiable "insect" flavor. The powdered ants are sort of like cheating. In their unpowdered form these are some really big ants, but of course once powdered it's just another spice. They were used in combination with many other flavors, not all of which I was familiar with, so I can't really tell you what they tasted like, except to say that I like both dishes that featured them.

[Chris Hennes]

Ars Technica has an interesting piece today about eating insects:

This could be the food of the future—if you can handle it

[Deryn]

Yes, interesting.

 

My warped mind though goes to the future and thinking that PETA will get on the bandwagon (especially if we all have 'bug farms' in our personal kitchens) and demand we treat bugs 'humanely' and also to thinking about the prospect of scientists breeding giant bugs so that we get more protein in every bite/for our buck, etc. On the other hand, I can imagine mealworm popsicles for the kids - will they delight in that special treat someday?

[Mjx]

Here's a question: leaving aside your feelings about eating insects, what do they cost in your area?

 

This past Monday I revisited the question of eating insects in an EFL classroom discussion. I'm in Denmark, and the discussion—which addressed the aesthetics of eating insects and the environmental impact of raising vertebrate meat vs insects—didn't become extreme: feelings about eating insects ranged from enthusiastic, to 'sure, why not', to 'I don't like the idea, but it deserves a fair trial'.

 

Tuesday, I decided to put my money where my mouth was, and to experiment with some insects. I meant to do this before, but conveniently forgot; I'm not enthusiastic about the idea, but it's increasingly clear that eating meat at the current scale is not sustainable (e.g. https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/good-grub-why-we-might-be-eating-insects-soon). A few years ago, most supermarkets had some sort of insect product, but not any more. The only place that carried any insects was the supermarket in one of the local departmentmental stores, and they had a much smaller selection than before: just frozen mealworms and grasshopper young, though they were out of the latter. At least the choice was simple!

 

 

I took a quick look at the back, because I was curious about the amount of protein per 100 grams (17.6 g, which is decent), and saw that there wasn't much in the package, just 150 grams. And these were imported from Belgium, rather than being a local product.

 

 

I'd already noticed the price, DKK 74.95 (USD 10.85/EUR 10.05), which wasn't fantastic, given the amount, but then I took a closer look at the kilo price.

 

 

DKK 499.67 (USD 72.35/EUR 67.02 per kilo) is 25% more then the kilo price of the shop's most expensive cuts of beef (and the not-present grasshopper young are even more expensive).

 

 

This pricing is problematic, because not only does it add to the barriers to buying and consuming insects, but it makes no sense at all: one of the points in favour of raising insects as food is that it is very cost-effective, especially compared to raising conventional livestock (also, insects are easily raised at home, which means that competitive pricing is a must for commercial success).

 

Are these prices widespread throughout the West? I'd really like to hear what prices you're seeing for mealworms and other insect protein, where you live.

[KennethT]

3 hours ago, Mjx said:

Here's a question: leaving aside your feelings about eating insects, what do they cost in your area?

 

This past Monday I revisited the question of eating insects in an EFL classroom discussion. I'm in Denmark, and the discussion—which addressed the aesthetics of eating insects and the environmental impact of raising vertebrate meat vs insects—didn't become extreme: feelings about eating insects ranged from enthusiastic, to 'sure, why not', to 'I don't like the idea, but it deserves a fair trial'.

 

Tuesday, I decided to put my money where my mouth was, and to experiment with some insects. I meant to do this before, but conveniently forgot; I'm not enthusiastic about the idea, but it's increasingly clear that eating meat at the current scale is not sustainable (e.g. https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/good-grub-why-we-might-be-eating-insects-soon). A few years ago, most supermarkets had some sort of insect product, but not any more. The only place that carried any insects was the supermarket in one of the local departmentmental stores, and they had a much smaller selection than before: just frozen mealworms and grasshopper young, though they were out of the latter. At least the choice was simple!

 

 

I took a quick look at the back, because I was curious about the amount of protein per 100 grams (17.6 g, which is decent), and saw that there wasn't much in the package, just 150 grams. And these were imported from Belgium, rather than being a local product.

 

 

I'd already noticed the price, DKK 74.95 (USD 10.85/EUR 10.05), which wasn't fantastic, given the amount, but then I took a closer look at the kilo price.

 

 

DKK 499.67 (USD 72.35/EUR 67.02 per kilo) is 25% more then the kilo price of the shop's most expensive cuts of beef (and the not-present grasshopper young are even more expensive).

 

 

This pricing is problematic, because not only does it add to the barriers to buying and consuming insects, but it makes no sense at all: one of the points in favour of raising insects as food is that it is very cost-effective, especially compared to raising conventional livestock (also, insects are easily raised at home, which means that competitive pricing is a must for commercial success).

 

Are these prices widespread throughout the West? I'd really like to hear what prices you're seeing for mealworms and other insect protein, where you live.

Fascinating.  I'm amazed that you have it in Denmark at all.  I wonder if the cost is based on the small amount of supply?  In SE Asia (and probably China too but I haven't seen it myself) insects in the local markets are REALLY cheap.  Much cheaper than anything else that I saw in the same markets.  Lots of times, they were already prepared - like deep fried and salted to be eaten as a snack.  What was expensive was the ant larva in Northern Thailand, but that's because it's considered a delicacy and is difficult to obtain.

 

I've never seen insects for consumption anywhere in the US.  the only insects I've seen are usually in either pet stores for feeding snakes and other reptiles.

[kayb]

I ate crickets that had been blended into granola once, wasn’t bad. Didn’t get in yo checking prices.

[liuzhou]

Of course, insects aren't only for eating.

Black ant wine is common here.

黑蚂蚁酒 (hēi mǎ yǐ jiǔ) Black ant wine.

 

 

 

[heidih]

If you want to go down the insect hole click on the link to Rainbow Mealworm.  One of the biggest suppliers of a variety. Not marketed for humans but I called the office and was told people do buy them for personal eating. They are in Los Angeles just south of me. The link also has a video with Huell Howser doing a tour - informative.  If you click around you'll see prices. I used to buy a lot of mealworms and crickets from them when I raised birds. Crickets in my freezer and mealworms in the fridge. Back then I was not aware of various cultures eating them with relish so I never experimented.

https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/shop-mealworms/?

[C. sapidus]

The only time I ate insects voluntarily was chocolate-covered cicadas during one of their 17-year emergences. Not bad, although the wings tend to stick on the way down. Perhaps we were supposed to remove the wings, I dunno.

 

I later read that cicadas can build up a fairly high concentration of heavy metals during their 17 years underground, depending on the local soil. Eh, I'm not worried about the toxic effects of eating one cicada every 17 years. 🙄

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Of course, insects aren't only for eating.

Black ant wine is common here.

黑蚂蚁酒 (hēi mǎ yǐ jiǔ) Black ant wine.

 

 

 

 

I had no idea! I do remember that during our last population explosion of "army worms" in northern Minnesota someone was experimenting with making wine out of them. He may even have called it "revenge wine". I read that it was...interesting...but it didn't look like a cottage industry sprung up as a result.

 

What does the black ant wine taste like, liuzhou? Does it have a formic acid kick?

 

[Smithy]

Getting back to @Mjx's question: I haven't even seen insects for sale in grocery stores, except for novelty candies like chocolate ants. A place I'm going to tomorrow has, or used to have, small scorpions in clear candies for a couple of US dollars. If they're still there and I remember, I'll snap a photo.

 

I'll have to watch more closely in the stores. Perhaps I'm overlooking them.

[heidih]

7 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Getting back to @Mjx's question: I haven't even seen insects for sale in grocery stores, except for novelty candies like chocolate ants. A place I'm going to tomorrow has, or used to have, small scorpions in clear candies for a couple of US dollars. If they're still there and I remember, I'll snap a photo.

 

Yup those clear or amber like lollipops with an insect iside. Novelty items around for many years. 

I've read reviews that mention the grasshoppers  - chapulines - fried crunchy and served  in street tacos or in little bags as snacks. I don't get to those areas anymore unfortunately.

[liuzhou]

6 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

I had no idea! I do remember that during our last population explosion of "army worms" in northern Minnesota someone was experimenting with making wine out of them. He may even have called it "revenge wine". I read that it was...interesting...but it didn't look like a cottage industry sprung up as a result.

 

What does the black ant wine taste like, liuzhou? Does it have a formic acid kick?

 

 

Black ants have been eaten in China for decades, more for medicinal reasons than gustatory. You won’t find them in your local supermarket, but they are available in pharmacies dealing in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ingredients.

 

They are priced by size, the larger they are the more expensive.  The largest can fetch over $43 USD per kg.

 

They are considered to be of benefit to longevity and general well-being, and in particular to men wishing to retain their reproductive power into old age. But that seems to be the case for almost everything in TCM.

 

What is more easily available (and affordable), even in some supermarkets is the wine, in full Black Ant Health Preserving Wine (黑蚂蚁养生酒). 175ml bottles are available for $1.50. Ingredients are listed as rice wine, black ants, cobra, banded krait (another snake), gecko, astragalus herb,  ginseng, longan and wolfberry.

The taste is herbal and sweet. You can't really detect the ants.

 

[Mjx]

14 hours ago, Smithy said:

... I haven't even seen insects for sale in grocery stores, except for novelty candies like chocolate ants. A place I'm going to tomorrow has, or used to have, small scorpions in clear candies for a couple of US dollars. If they're still there and I remember, I'll snap a photo.

 

...

 

@Smithy Thanks!

 

For people to actually begin to consume insects in the West, the price barrier has got to be minimized, because for now, at least, no one is going to pay significntly more for insects (which are far, far cheaper to raise than conventional livestock) than they'd pay for ribeye in a higher-end supermarket. I feel like a hypocrite, but I had to pass on the mealworms: protein that costs about EUR 67 per kilo/USD 33 per pound is not something I can really afford, and I know this is true of a lot of people. Even people who can easily afford that are likely to have strong reservations about that price point for insects.

[Smithy]

I think of myself as an adventuresome eater, but I'd have to be very hungry -- or else up for a strong dare -- to try those mealworms. Maybe if they were fried and sauced...or else boiled and sauced and passed off as vermicelli? I have read that fried grasshoppers can be very good, with the classic "crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside" description. I'd try those, if I were to see them, but as noted above the price point needs to come way down.

 

Here are the scorpion suckers that I dimly remembered and Heidi remembered more clearly. I've already forgotten the price: $3 US?

 

[rotuts]

' Insect Burgers '

 

much cheaper (  S.E.Asian price model  )

 

than fake burgers 

 

and ' real 'l meat burgers :  beef , turkey , lamb,  firm tofu .

 

let me know when they show up

 

at all the ' burger chains '

 

as II look forward to your reviews.

 

 

[heidih]

I think the price has not changed in 20 years on the lollipops.  Usually saw them in touristy places like Morro Bay.  

 

The price comparison with the bugs on a per pound basis does not reflect how they are used. I usually see them as a snack (with booze) or a part of a dish - not eaten like a big ol' hunk of steak. 

 

The owner of Rainbow in the Huell Howser clip mentions a cookbook they sell in the retail store and there is a lot on-line in terms of  prep. I would not try the ones from pet shops as they are often getting old. 

[Alex]

Ants in DC! (and grasshoppers)

Tom Sietsema's review in the WaPo

 

Quote

Could it be the name of the place — a Spanish reference to a type of flying ant? Zamudio, a native of Guerrero in southwestern Mexico, is so eager to turn his audience on to the insect, he offers diners a free taste from an ornate box he keeps on the counter and incorporates them into half a dozen dishes. (Ants, among other insects, are a topic of conversation in culinary circles: I’ve appreciated their texture and flavor, which changes depending on where they’re from, at restaurants including the world-renowned Noma in Copenhagen.) Chicatana’s dried stash looks like shiny black beans and adds a nice pop to dishes as diverse as esquites — roasted corn mixed with mayonnaise, queso fresco and lime — tacos and buñuelos, or Mexican doughnuts.

 

[Smithy]

A friend of mine in Senegal just posted a photo (on Facebook) of reddish-colored fried insects and labeled it "Snack attack!" I asked him what they were and how they tasted. He said he's pretty sure they're grasshoppers. They're crunchy - fried through and through - and served with a dipping sauce. He also said he had to take off part of the back legs because they stuck in the roof of his mouth. Aside from that difficulty, he liked them.

 

They sound to me like a less-processed version of any of the salty crunchy snacks we keep around here: potato chips/crisps; tortilla crisps/chips; Chex Mix. I'll try them sometime, if/when I get the chance.

[Mjx]

On 3/25/2023 at 9:22 PM, heidih said:

. . .

 

The price comparison with the bugs on a per pound basis does not reflect how they are used. I usually see them as a snack (with booze) or a part of a dish - not eaten like a big ol' hunk of steak. 

 

. . .

 

It does make sense that insects are sold as novelties/snacks, the price will reflect that, but these mealworms are actually being sold alongside things such as regular and vegan mince, apparently meant to be consumed as the/a principal protein in a meal, so the prices should be comparable, especially given the actual production costs.

[liuzhou]

Today, I took possession of 500 g or 1.1 lbs of 黑蚂蚁 (hēi mǎ yǐ), Chinese black ants, Polyhachis vicina Roger - as one does. These are found in the Changbai Mountains, a mountain range which forms the border between China and North Korea.

 

 

These are said to be very nutritious, being high in protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc, as well as Vitamins B, D, and E. They are widely used in TCM, in weight control, to boost the immune system, as an anti-inflammatory drug, as an anti-aging agent  and even to treat cancer. Naturally, like everything else in TCM, they enhance one's sex life. Of course, there is no evidence of any therapeutic benefit that stands up to western scientific standards.

 

Quote

Use of Polyrhachis as a medicine is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, thus it cannot legally be considered safe to ingest or effective in doing what it claims to do.

 

 

They are also, less often, used just as food, being made into a hot drink with honey as well as  being added to rice and congee or even to scrambled egg. They  have a citrus-like flavour coming from their formic acid and are slightly crunchy. The flavour is quite strong so they are used sparingly.

 

They are also used in black ant wine as mentioned in this post above .

 

$9 USD for the 500 g.

 

They are also available in North America. There is more information here.

 

Ant omelette, anyone? Ant and chips?